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Illustrated 
Descriptive 
A^r^entina 

By 

Henry  StepKens 

A.B.,  Ph.D. 


Ube  IRnicfterbocfter  press 

New  YorK 

1917 


Copyright 

BY 

HENRY  STEPHENS 
1917 

First  Edition 


William  -Allan  Livingstone 

Of  Detroit.  MicHigan 
THis  ]&ooK  is  Respectf\jill3^  Dedicated 


FOREWORD. 


ALTHOUGH  the  vast  collection  of  books 
printed  in  the  English  language  on  Ar- 
gentina, its  inhabitants  and  its  resources 
are  inexhaustible,  none,  however,  have 
I  seen  given  up  in  entirety  to  illustrations  and 
descriptions  thereof. 

The  usual  inane  questions  asked  the  recently 
returned  traveler  from  South  America  by  his  friends 
at  home  such  as: — ''What  is  Argentina  like?  I 
hear  it  is  a  great  country.''  or,  ''What  does 
Buenos  Aires  look  like?"  cannot  be  answered  in  one 
or  even  in  ten  sentences.  A  chapter  at  least  is 
needed  for  the  briefest  digest  of  description  of 
this  most  progressive  Republic  in  the  Southern 
hemisphere. 

An  oracular  or  written  description  gives  a  person 
one  impression;  illustrations  give  a  different  one; 
but  neither  alone  can  convey  to  the  mind  a  true 
idea  of  a  place  or  an  object  such  as  can  be  imbued 
by  the  individual  who  reads  and  studies  a  descrip- 
tive illustration.  It  is  with  this  idea,  therefore, 
that  I  have  compiled  these  illustrations,  and  from  a 
few  words  to  a  few  paragraphs  on  each  subject  have 

V 


produced  * '  Illustrated  Descriptive  Argentina, ' ' 
which  I  think  is  the  only  work  of  its  kind. 

Most  of  the  photographs  I  myself  took;  some 
were  obtained  from  Olds,  the  pioneer  landscape 
photographer  of  Buenos  Aires;  some  from  Chute 
&  Brooks  of  Rosario;  and  others  from  A.  A.  Kirwin, 
of  Tucuman. 

Henry  Stephens. 

April  7,  1 91 7. 


vi 


BUENOS  AIRES. 


BUENOS  AIRES,  federal  capital  of  Argen- 
tina,  has  at  the  present  time  (191 7)  a 
population  of  1,650,000  inhabitants. 
It  is  the  largest  city  in  South  America, 
and  rivals  Philadelphia  for  the  distinction  of  being 
the  third  city  in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  It  is 
situated  in  latitude  34°  36^  21^'  south  and  longitude 
58"^  21'  33^'  west.  It  is  built  in  a  rather  poor 
location  on  the  west  bank  of  the  River  Plate, 
about  150  miles  above  its  mouth,  and  about  130 
miles  northwest  of  Montevideo,  the  Uruguayan 
capital. 

Although  the  first  settlement  was  made  where 
the  city  now  stands,  by  Pedro  de  Mendoza  in 
1535)  the  real  founding  of  the  city  did  not  take 
place  until  1580,  forty-five  years  later,  when  Juan 
Garay  established  the  city  which  is  now  styled 
correctly  ''The  Athens  of  America." 

What  Nature  failed  to  provide  in  the  site  of  a 
great  city,  human  work  has  overcome.  Today 
Buenos  Aires  is  the  port  of  entry  and  the  outlet  of 
nearly  all  the  commerce  in  the  River  Plate  water- 
shed, the  most  prosperous  and  highly  advanced 

vli 


part  of  South  America,  fast  becoming  the  granary 
of  Europe.  It  is  the  great  distributing  point  of 
South  America,  in  the  same  way  that  New  York 
is  that  of  North  America.  In  one  thing,  however, 
is  Buenos  Aires  lacking; — large  manufacturing 
establishments.  This  is  at  present  an  impossi- 
bility, owing  to  the  lack  of  iron,  and  to  its  great 
distance  from  the  coal  fields.  Its  heterogeneous 
population,  yearly  augmented  by  a  large  Euro- 
pean immigration,  in  which  Italians  and  Spaniards 
predominate,  has  in  recent  years  increased  by 
leaps.  The  official  census  of  1869  gave  it  a  popula- 
tion of  only  177,767;  that  of  1895,  663,854;  that  of 
1904,  950,891 ;  the  next  year  it  passed  the  million 
mark. 

The  city  is  cosmopolitan  in  character,  has  the 
most  modern  conveniences,  including  a  subway, 
and  an  excellent  tram  service.  It  has  a  fine  park 
system,  many  plazas,  elegant  buildings,  both 
public  and  private,  fine  hotels,  restaurants,  clubs, 
and  the  best  race  track  in  the  world.  Its  newspaper 
offices  are  in  a  class  by  themselves.  The  streets 
are  kept  clean,  and  no  vile  odors  assail  the  nostrils 
of  the  passers-by  as  in  most  South  American  cities. 

Probably  nowhere  else  in  the  world  are  to  be 
seen  so  many  well-dressed  people,  especially  the 
ladies.  They  have  such  a  sense  of  good  taste  in 
dress,  which,  added  to  their  naturally  well-formed 
figures,  that  even  the  poorest  of  them  in  the 
cheapest  of  material  can  put  in  the  shade  many  of 
our  society  belles  in  the  costliest  of  raiment. 

viii 


The  climate  of  Buenos  Aires,  although  only- 
averaging  an  annual  temperature  of  64"^  Fahren- 
heit, is  humid,  and  the  summer  heat  is  at  times 
enervating,  and  has  a  depressing  effect.  The  rain- 
fall measures  an  annual  average  of  34  inches. 
Rains  generally  come  from  the  west,  and  are 
preceded  by  violent  gusts  of  wind.  The  intona- 
tions of^thunder  are  loud,  with  vivid  flashes  of 
lightning. 


ix 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Buenos  Aires     ......  vii 

Descriptive,  Illustrated  Argentina  .        .  i 
Province  of  Buenos  Aires        .       .  .196 

The  Province  of  Santa  Fe        .       .       .  344 

Territory  of  the  Chaco    ....  444 

Territory  of  Misiones      ....  452 

Province  of  Entre  Rios     ....  458 

Province  of  Cordoba         ....  482 

Province  of  Tucuman        ....  586 

Province  of  Salta      .       .       .       .       .  638 

Province  of  San  Luis        ....  678 

Province  of  Mendoza        ....  7q6 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 


Immigrant  Station     .......  2 

Water  Front  OF  Buenos  Aires  IN  1888       .              .  4 

Darsena  Sud   6 

General  View  of  Buenos  Aires       ....  8 

Majestic  Hotel   10 

Plaza  Hotel   12 

Paris  Hotel   14 

Splendid  Hotel  Frascati   16 

Congressional  Building    .       .       .       .       .  .18 

Room  where  Congress  Meets,  El  Congreso    .       .  20 

Lounge  Room  of  the  Representatives,  El  Congreso  .  22 

Capitol  Building,  Western  Facade  ....  24 

Courtyard  of  the  Capitol   26 

Audience  Room  of  the  Capitol        .       .       .  .28 

Custom  House   ........  30 

Post  Office       ........  32 

Law  Courts   34 

City  Hall   36 

National  Board  of  Education  Building  ...  38 

Rivadavia  School   40 

RocA  School   42 

Business  College      .       .       .       •              .       •  44 

Faculty  of  Medicine   46 

National  Library   48 

Main  Office  of  La  Prensa.       .....  50 

xiii 


FACING 
PAGE 

Directors'  Room,  La  Prensa      ,              ...  52 

Banquet  Hall,  La  Prensa  Building  ....  54 

Office  Building  OF  THE  Central  Argentine  Railway     .  56 

Once  Railroad  Station   58 

Plaza  Constitucion  Railroad  Station      ...  60 

The  Mataderos   62 

Stockyards  of  the  Mataderos,  Partial  View    .       .  64 

Scraping  Room,  Mataderos       .....  66 

"Your  Turn  Next*'  .......  68 

German  Club  ,       .  .70 

Jockey  Club   72 

Atrium  of  the  Jockey  Club   74 

Balcony  around  Courtyard  of  Jockey  Club    .       .  76 

Domino  Room  of  the  Jockey  Club   ....  78 

DiNiNG-RooM,  Jockey  Club   80 

Entrance  to  the  Race  Track   82 

Grandstands  of  the  Race  Track     ....  ^4 

The  Argentine  Hippodrome      .....  86 

Race  Course,  Argentine  Hippodrome       ...  88 

Reconquista  Street   90 

Plaza  de  Mayo   92 

AvENiDA  DE  Mayo   94 

Bartolome  Mitr6  Street   96 

Florida  Street   98 

Defensa  Street    100 

Tucuman  Street   102 

A  Buenos  Aires  Market  ......  104 

A  Conventillo  ........  106 

Avenida  Alvear.       .......  108 

Another  View  of  the  Beautiful  Avenida  Alvear       .  no 

RivADAviA  Street,  Flores   112 

Avenida  Manuel  Montes  de  Oca     .       .       .  .114 

xiv 


FACING 
PAGE 


Paseo  de  Julio  in  1888  .  .  .  ^  .  .  .116 
Paseo  de  Julio,  1907         .       .       .       .       .  .118 

Statue  in  the  Plaza  Lorea  120 

"Statue  of  Doubt"  .......  122 

Statue  in  Palermo  Park         .       .       .       .  .124 

Lola  Mora  Fountain        .       .       .       .       .  .126 

Statue  of  George  Washington         .       .       .  .128 

Lavalle  Monument   .       .       .       .       .       .  .130 

Garibaldi  Statue      .......  132 

San  Martin  Statue   .       .       .       .       ,       .  .134 

French  Monument  136 

Entrance  to  the  Recoleta  .....  138 
A  Street  of  the  Dead      .       .       .       .       .  .140 

Ayerza  Monument,  Recoleta  142 

Jos^:  Semino  Vault,  Recoleta  .....  144 
DoRREGO  Ortiz  Basualdo  Tomb,  Recoleta        ,       .  146 

Santo  Domingo  Church  148 

Santa  Catalina  de  Sena  Church  .  .  .  .150 
Interior  of  San  Nicolas  Church      .       .       .  .152 

Church  of  the  Concepcion  154 

Church  of  San  Salvador  .       .       .       .       .  .156 

Basilica  of  the  Concepcion,  Belgrano     .       .       .  158 

Wheat  Elevators   .160 

Basualdo  Palace       .       .       .       .       .       .  .162 

Paz  Palace  164 

A  Buenos  Aires  Residence  166 

House  of  the  Colonial  Period.       ....  168 

Home  of  the  Tyrant  Rozas  170 

House  where  Rozas  was  Born  ,       .       .       .  .172 

Palermo  Park  174 

Artificial  Lake  In  Palermo  Park  .  .  .  .176 
Llamas  at  the  Zoological  Garden  .       .       .  .178 


XV 


FACING 
PAGE 

"NUMA**  AND  "SaBOR"   l8o 

Itinerant  Cigar  Vendor   182 

Peddlers  of  Bread  and  Vegetables         .       .  .184 

Garlic  and  Onion  Peddler   186 

Typical  Bar,  Buenos  Aires   188 

The  Riachuelo   190 

The  Riachuelo   192 

Statue  of  Avellaneda,  Avellaneda         .       .  .194 

Country  House,  Province  of  Buenos  Aires     .       .  200 

Country  House,  Province  of  Buenos  Aires     .       .  202 

EsTANciA  "San  Jacinto*'   204 

EsTANCiA  "San  Fernando*'   206 

EsTANCiA  "Los  Remedios"   208 

Estancia  "Santa  Catalina"   210 

EsTANCiA  "Villa  Elisa*'    *.   212 

Estancia  "El  Socorro"   214 

Flock  of  Sheep  on  "El  Socorro"    ....  216 

Sheep  on  an  Estancia,  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  .  218 

Argentine  Sheep   220 

GUANACOS  ON  an  EsTANCIA            .....  222 

Estancia  "CurumalAn"     ......  224 

Estancia  "La  Negreta"   226 

Estancia  "Villate  Olaguer"   228 

Ombu  Tree  on  Estancia  "Villate  Olaguer"    .       .  230 

Bull  Stable  on  an  Argentine  Estancia  .       .       .  232 

Prize  Bull,  Province  of  Buenos  Aires    .       .       .  234 

Dairy  Farm,  Estancia  "Tambo  La  Florida"     .       .  236 

Dairy  Cows,  Estancia  "Constitucion"     .       .       .  238 

Hereford  Cattle  at  Estancia  "La  Fidela"     .       .  240 

Prize  Cattle  at  an  Argentine  Fair  ....  242 

Ranch  of  the  Frigorifico  "La  Blanca"  .       .       .  244 

A  Tropero   246 

xvi 


FACING 
PAGE 

Gauchos    .       .    248 

Plowing  Scene  ........  250 

The  Return  from  Threshing    .....  252 

Straw  Stacks    ........  254 

Bringing  Wheat  to  the  Railroad  Estancia  "San 

Pascual"     ........  256 

Sacks  of  Wheat  at  an  Argentine  Railroad  Station  .  258 

PuLPERiA  **El  Ombu"   260 

Plaza  and  Church  at  Quilmes         ....  262 

La  Plata   .........  264 

Railway  Station   266 

Casa  de  Justicia       .......  268 

Legislature       .       .       .       .'      .       .       .       .  270 

Capitol      .........  272 

City  Hall   274 

Park,  La  Plata   276 

La  Plata  Views: 

Normal  School   278 

Bank  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  .  .  278 
La  Plata  Views  : 

Old  Railway  Station   280 

Statue  of  San  Martin   280 

Fishing  Boats  at  Mar  del  Plata     .       .       .       .  286 

The  Strand   288 

La  Peral   .........  290 

Church,  Mar  del  Plata    ......  292 

Bust  of  Humbert  I   .       .       .       .       .       .       .  294 

Mar  del  Plata  Club        ......  296 

Hotel  Bristol  and  Casino        .....  298 

Dining-Room,  Hotel  Bristol     .       .       .       .       .  300 

Annex  of  the  Hotel  Bristol    .....  302 

The  Rambla      ........  304 

xvii 


FACING 
PAGE 


Cordoba  Street        .......  306 

Balancing  Stone,  Tandil   308 

Plaza  Colon,  Azul   310 

Plaza  Colonel  Olavarria,  OlavarrIa  .  .  .312 
Church  of  San  Jose,  OlavarrIa  .  .  .  .314 
Chiclana  Street,  Bahia  Blanca        .       .       .  .316 

Plaza  Rivadavia   318 

Alsina  Street    ........  320 

TiGRE         .........  322 

Open-air  Dining-room,  Hotel  Tigre  ....  324 

Country  Store,  Zarate     ......  326 

City  Hall,  San  Pedro   328 

Church  at  San  Pedro       .    '   330 

City  Hall  and  Courthouse,  Mercedes     .       .       .  332 

25TH  Street,  Mercedes      .       .       .       .       .       .  334 

Church  at  Mercedes   336 

Central  Argentina  Railway  Station,  Pergamino  .  338 
Views  of  Pergamino: 

San  NicolAs  Street,  Showing  Hotel  Roma  on  the 

Right   340 

San  NicolAs  Street,  Looking  South  .  .  .  340 
Views  of  Pergamino: 

Side  Street  in  Pergamino  .       .       .       .       .  342 

Plaza — 25  de  Mayo   342 

The  Santa  Fe  Campo        ......  346 

Plowing  Virgin  Soil   348 

Typical  Ranch  ........  350 

Sacks  of  Corn  at  a  Railway  Station      .       .       .  352 

Dipping  Sheep  at  Estancia  "Santa  Isabel"     .       .  354 

General  View  of  Santa  Ft   358 

Harbor  at  Santa  Fe        ......  360 

Plaza  de  Mayo   362 

xviii 


FACING 
PAGE 

Normal  School         .              .....  364 

Commerce  Street   366 

Church  of  San  Francisco         .....  368 

Church  of  San  Antonio    ......  370 

La  Merced  Church   .......  372 

Exportation  Section  of  Port  Works,  Rosario         .  376 

Rosario  in  1888   378 

Station  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe  Railroad      .  380 

Tracks  of  the  Central  Argentina  Railroad,  Rosario  382 

Courthouse   384 

Political  Building    .......  386 

Plaza  de  Mayo   388 

City  Hall   390 

La  Matriz,  or  Cathedral   392 

Governor  Freyre  School         .....  394 

Stock  Exchange   396 

London  and  Brazilian  Bank   398 

Bank  of  Italy  and  River  Plate       ....  400 

Spanish  Bank  of  the  River  Plate    ....  402 

British  Bank  of  South  America       ....  404 

Bank  of  London  and  River  Plate    ....  406 

French  Bank  of  the  River  Plate    ....  408 

Castagnino  Building         .       .       .       .       .       .  410 

Santa  Fe  Street   412 

San  Martin  Street           ......  414 

Views  of  Rosario: 

Cordoba  Street  .......  416 

Cordoba  Street    418 

Boulevard  Orono      .......  420 

Residence  of  Dr.  C.  Bartlett  .....  422 

PiNAsco  Mansion       .......  424 

Fernandez  Diaz  Residence       .....  426 

xix 


FACING 
PAGB 


Residenxe  of  Dr.  Nicanor  Elia       ....  428 

Palatial  Residence  in  Rosario        ....  430 

Residence  of  Diego  Alvear      .....  432 

Column  of  Victory,  Plaza  de  Mayo         .       .       .  434 

Mausoleum  of  Marcelino  Semino     ....  436 

Independence  Park   .......  438 

Swimming  Pool  at  Saladillo     .....  440 

MoNTES  Residence  at  Alberdi   442 

Palmares,  Territory  of  Chaco         ....  446 

Indian  Tolda     ........  448 

ToBA  Women   450 

Falls  of  the  Iguazu         ......  454 

Another  View  of  the  Iguazlt  Falls         .       .       .  456 

Entrerriano  Landscape     ......  460 

Parana  River  Landscape,  Province  of  Entre  Rios    .  462 

Santa  Elena     .       .       ...       .       .       .       .  464 

Parana  River  Passenger  Ferry       ....  466 

Entrerriano  Shore  of  the  ParanA  River        .       .  468 

EuROPA  Street,  ParanA   470 

Plaza  de  Mayo,  ParanA   472 

Cathedral   474 

Church  of  San  Miguel   476 

Capitol,  ParanA        .......  478 

Urquiza  Street,  ParanA   480 

Partial  View  of  Cordoba         .....  488 

View  of  Cordoba,  Looking  South     ....  490 

Central  of  Cordoba  Railway  Station      .       .       .  492 

Northern  Market     .......  494 

Centennial  Bridge   496 

Bridge  over  the  Rio  Primero  .....  498 

San  Geronimo  Street        ......  500 

Plaza  San  Martin   502 


XX 


FACING 
PAGE 


Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation       ....  504 

Spanish  Bank  of  the  River  Plate    ....  506 

Bank  of  London  and  River  Plate    ....  508 

Bank  of  the  Province  of  C6rdoba  .       .       .  .510 

Capitol      .........  512 

New  Capitol     ........  514 

New  Courthouse   516 

New  City  Hall         .......  518 

Rivera  Indarte    Theater   520 

Olmos  School   522 

Penitentiary   524 

Cordoba  Brewery     .......  526 

MiNETTi  Brothers'  Flour  Mill.       ....  528 

Cathedral   530 

Church  of  San  Roque   532 

Church  of  Santo  Domingo   534 

Cloister  of  Santo  Domingo      .....  536 

Church  of  La  Mercedes   538 

Church  of  the  Compania   540 

Church  of  Santa  Teresa  ......  542 

Church  of  San  Francisco   544 

Interior  of  Church  of  San  Francisco     .       .       .  546 

AvENiDA  General  Paz       .       .       .       .       .       .  548 

Fall  of  Bridge  in  Sarmiento  Park  ....  550 

Zoological  Garden    .......  552 

Statue  to  Velez  Sarsfield   554 

SOBREMONTE  HoUSE      .           ......  556 

Garzon  Residence   558 

Chalet  of  Senor  Minetti   560 

Street  Scene,  Bialet  Masset   .....  562 

Street  Scene,  Cordoba   562 

Filters  on  the  Rio  Primero     .....  564 

xxi 


FACING 

*  PAGE 

Rio  Primero      .....        ...  566 

PUENTE  DEL  SaLTO        .......  568 

DiQUE  Malet   570 

DiQUE  San  Roque   572 

San  Roque  Lake   574 

Typical  Estancia,  Province  of  Cordoba  .       .       .  574 

Church  at  San  Roque      .       .       .       .       .  ■     .  576 

CoRDOBESE  Landscape  in  the  Sierra         .       .       .  578 

CosQuiN   580 

The  Hub  of  Activity  of  Cosquin     ....  582 

Street  in  Cosquin   582 

Fruit  and  Cake  Vendors,  Province  of  Cordoba  .       .  584 

Central  of  Argentina  Railroad  Station  .       .       .  590 

"Delighted'*     ........  590 

North  Side  of  the  Plaza   592 

Street  Scene     ........  592 

Side  Street       ........  594 

One  of  the  Main  Streets        .....  594 

South  Side  of  the  Plaza  .       .       .       .       ...  596 

School  Built  and  Maintained  by  the  Provincial 

Government        .......  596 

The  Capitol,  TucumAn   598 

Street  Scene     .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .  600 

Municipal  Pawnshop         ......  602 

A  Holiday  in  TucumAn     ......  604 

General  O'Donnell's  Escort  of  Lancers         .       .  606 

University  of  TucumAn     ......  608 

Patio  of  the  University   610 

Examiners*  Board,  University  of  TucumAn  .  .612 
Bacteriological  Laboratory,  Experimental  Station 

OF  Agriculture   .       .       .       .       .       .  .614 

Interior  of  the  Alberdi  Theatre    .       .       .  .616 

xxii 


FACING 
PAGE 


Cigar  Factory   6i8 

Fire  Engine,  Tucuman      ......  620 

The  Firemen's  Ball  .......  622 

Mausoleum  of  the  Clergymen's  Society  .       .       .  624 

Mounted  Policeman,  Tucuman  .       .       .       .       .  626 

A  Fortunate  Gentleman  ......  628 

Typical  Grocery  Store,  Suburbs  of  Tucuman          .  630 

A  Country  Cottage   632 

Curious  Stone,  Province  of  Tucuman      .       .       .  634 

A  Near  View  of  the  Same  Stone     ....  636 

Railroad  Station,  Salta   ......  644 

A  Parade  in  Salta                                                .  646 

Salta  Social  Club   648 

Building  of  the  Colonial  Type       ....  650 

Old  Cabildo,  Salta   .......  652 

Plaza  Hotel   654 

Mitre  Street    ........  656 

Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation       ....  658 

Provincial  Bank,  Salta   660 

Ancient  Church  of  La  Merced        ....  662 

San  Martin  Park   664 

Penitentiary     ........  666 

Modern  Residence,  Salta         .       .       .       .       .  668 

20TH  of  February  Monument    .....  670 

Cemetery  Scene,  Salta   672 

Street  Scene  in  Guemes   674 

View  across  the  Roofs  of  Salta  from  Monastery  of 

San  Francisco     .......  674 

Steers  on  a  Salta  Farm   676 

City  of  San  Luis   680 

Railroad  Station   682 

Street  Scene     .       .       .       .      \       .       .       .  682 

xxiii 


FACING 
PAGE 

The  Capitol,  San  Luis  684 

Post-Office,  San  Luis  686 

Club  and  Municipal  Theatre  688 

Court  House,  San  Luis  690 

Market,  San  Luis     .......  692 

Lafinur  School  ........  694 

Church  of  Santo  Domingo        .....  696 

pRiNGLEs'  Monument  .......  698 

Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation       ....  700 

Alfalfa  Field,  Environs  of  San  Luis      .       .       .  700 
One  of  the  Main  Streets        .       .       .       .       .  702 

Hacienda  about  Three  Miles  East  of  City  of  San 

Luis  702 

Typical  Country  Scene,  Province  of  San  Luis  .  .  704 
Buenos  Aires  Pacific  Railroad  Station   .       .  .712 

Necochea  Street  .712 

Municipal  Theatre  714 

Bank  of  the  Province  of  Mendoza  .       .       .  .714 

Plaza  San  Martin  716 

Spanish  Bank  of  the  River  Plate  .  .  .  .718 
Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation       ....  720 

The  Alameda  722 

Ruins  of  the  Church  of  Santo  Domingo  .       .       .  724 

Sarmiento  Street  726 

Rotunda  in  West  Park     ......  728 

Wine  Industry,  Province  of  Mendoza  .  .  .  730 
Wine  Industry,  Province  of  Mendoza  .  .  .  732 
Wine  Industry,  Province  of  Mendoza  .  .  .  734 
Wine  Industry,  Province  of  Mendoza      .       .       .  736 

Lujan  Dam,  Upper  View  738 

LujAN  Dam,  Lower  View  73^ 

Rio  Blanco  740 

XXIV 


FACING 

PAGE 

Raths  of  C^acheuta 

7J.2 

Raths  of  Oacheuta 

U SPALL AT A  ........ 

Las  Vacas  ........ 

PUENTE  DEL  InCA 

7^0 

PUENTE  DEL  InCA 

7^2 

Pttfntf  dfl  Inca 

7^  J. 

Aconcagua   

.  756 

Mouth  of  International  Tunnel,  Las  Cuevas  . 

.  758 

International  Tunnel,  Las  Cuevas  . 

.  760 

The  Christ  of  the  Andes  .... 

.  762 

XXV 


Descriptive,  Illustrated  Argentina 


I 


IMMIGRANT  STATION. 

THIS  Ellis  Island  of  Argentina  is  called 
Hotel  de  Immigrantes.  Here  future 
citizens  of  the  Republic  are  inspected 
upon  landing.  They  are  housed  and 
fed  here  at  the  expense  of  the  government  until 
the  time  comes  when  they  are  to  be  sent  to  different 
parts  of  the  country,  to  obtain  labor  that  they  have 
been  adapted  to  at  home.  Their  transportation  is 
furnished  free.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
laudatory  institution  in  the  Republic. 


2 


3 


WATER  FRONT  OF  BUENOS  AIRES  IN  1888. 


THIS  is  a  photograph  of  the  water  front  of 
the  Argentina  metropoHs  when  its  popu- 
lation numbered  but  404,000  inhabit- 
ants. Instead  of  the  crude  channel  cut 
through  the  mud  bank  as  is  here  shown,  Buenos 
Aires  today  (191 7)  boasts  of  great  stone-walled 
basins  equal  to  but  few  in  existence.  The  low 
buildings  in  the  background  have  all  been  super- 
seded by  great  edifices  and  skyscrapers.  The 
road  in  the  foreground  is  now  a  beautiful  park- 
way, the  Paseo  Colon,  adorned  with  trees  and 
flowerbeds. 


4 


DARSENA  SUD. 

THIS  nomenclature  means  Southern  Basin, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  Darsena 
Norte  or  northern  one.   Its  stone  walls 
offer  a  striking  contrast  to  mud  banks 
that  flanked  the  harbor  as  is  shown  in  the  water- 
front picture  of  Buenos  Aires  in  1888. 

Most  passenger  ships  from  foreign  ports  enter 
the  Darsena  Norte,  and  after  lying  there  for  a  day 
or  two  move  out  to  other  docks.  As  a  rule  they 
sail  from  Darsena  Sud.  From  Darsena  Sud  sail 
the  Montevideo  boats,  the  steamers  that  ply 
between  Buenos  Aires  and  the  River  Plate  ports, 
as  well  as  those  destined  up  the  Parana,  Paraguay, 
and  Uruguay  Rivers. 

The  shipping  commerce  of  Buenos  Aires  is 
growing  so  rapidly  that  these  basins  are  hardly 
adequate  to  take  care  of  it. 


6 


7 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  BUENOS  AIRES. 


THIS  photograph  was  taken  from  the  roof 
of  the  Plaza  Hotel,  and  gives  an  idea 
of  the  roof  line  of  the  city  looking  in 
a  southwesterly  direction.  In  the  far 
right  background  appears  the  attenuated  dome  of 
the  Congressional  Building,  which  dominates  by 
its  height  all  the  other  buildings  of  the  city. 
The  large  pile  at  the  extreme  right  background 
is  the  Colon  Theatre  which  is  said  to  be  the 
largest  structure  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Directly 
behind  it,  and  also  seen  in  this  photograph,  are 
the  Law  Courts.  The  high  tower  in  the  far  left 
background  is  that  of  the  Majestic  Hotel. 


8 


MAJESTIC  HOTEL. 


THIS,  to  the  writer's  notion,  is  the  best 
hotel  in  South  America,  and  is  un- 
excelled as  to  service,  lodgings,  and 
cuisine.  It  is  on  the  Avenida  de  Mayo, 
the  principal  boulevard  of  the  city,  at  the  corner  of 
Santiago  del  Estero  Street.  It  was  opened  in  1910, 
the  centenary  of  Argentine  independence,  and  was 
leased  by  the  Government  during  the  summer 
season  of  that  year  for  600,000  pesos  ($252,000), 
as  an  abode  for  the  visiting  ambassadors,  diplomats, 
and  guests  of  distinction. 

It  is  a  good  example  of  the  highest  class  of 
South  American  hotel,  where  the  ceilings  are  high 
and  the  rooms  are  large.  In  this  respect  the  South 
American  hostelry  is  in  great  contrast  with  its 
North  American  prototype,  for  it  is  the  custom  in 
North  America  nowadays  to  crowd  as  many  rooms 
into  as  small  a  space  as  is  possible. 

The  Majestic  Hotel  has  a  glass-roofed  court- 
yard beginning  on  the  third  floor,  around  which 
run  five  stories  of  balconies.  It  also  has  a  roof 
garden.  The  tower  is  surmounted  by  a  gilded 
metal  sun,  which  scintillates  when  struck  by  the 
rays  of  the  real  sun,  and  carries  its  golden  reflection 
for  a  great  distance. 


10 


II 


PLAZA  HOTEL. 


THIS  is  the  most  famous  hotel  in  South 
America.  It  was  built  by  the  banker, 
Ernesto  Tornquist,  and  is  under  the 
Ritz-Carlton  management.  Like  most 
Ritz-Carlton  hotels,  its  prices  are  exorbitant  for 
the  value  received.  Its  cuisine  is  excellent,  but 
finer  rooms  for  lesser  prices  can  be  found  in  other 
hotels  of  the  Argentina  metropolis.  Fifty  pesos 
($21.00)  a  day  is  an  ordinary  rate  at  the  Plaza  for 
two  people.  This  includes  a  room  with  two  beds, 
vestibule  and  bath,  lunch  and  dinner,  but  does  not 
include  breakfast. 

It  is  popular  during  the  winter  months  for  pink 
teas,  banquets,  and  dinner  parties  for  the  Bonae- 
rense  elite.  It  is  also  a  favorite  abode  for  certain 
North  American  travelling  men,  who  like  to 
impress  their  prospective  clients,  never  failing  to 
mention  to  the  latter  that  they  are  stopping  at  the 
Plaza  Hotel. 

The  Plaza  Hotel  is  situated  on  the  Plaza  San 
Martin,  at  the  end  of  Florida  Street,  Buenos  Aires' 
most  busy  retail  thoroughfare  and  opposite  to  the 
American  Embassy.  The  building  is  ten  stories  in 
height  and  creates  a  pleasing  aspect. 


12 


13 


PARIS  HOTEL. 

THIS  hotel  is  situated  on  the  Avenida  de 
Mayo  and  is  one  of  the  older  first-class 
hotels  in  the  city.  It  is  now  about 
twelve  years  old.  On  its  street  floor 
is  one  of  the  best  restaurants  in  the  city.  It  has  a 
large  cafe,  and  like  the  hostelries  in  the  French 
metropolis,  iron-topped  tables  are  set  in  front  of 
it  on  the  sidewalk,  where  refreshments  are  served 
to  those  who  prefer  to  sit  in  the  open  air. 


14 


SPLENDID   HOTEL  FRASCATI. 

THIS  is  a  good  type  of  the  better  second- 
class  hotels  of  the  city.  Buenos  Aires 
boasts  of  quite  a  few  of  this  sort.  It  is 
located  on  the  Avenida  de  Mayo. 


i6 


CONGRESSIONAL  BUILDING. 


IT  is  called  El  Congreso,  and  is  one  of  the 
handsomest  buildings  in  the  world.  It  is  said 
to  have  cost  $20,000,000.  It  is  built  of  brick 
and  faced  with  white  Italian  marble.  It  took 
a  long  time  to  complete  it,  the  last  stages  being 
rendered  difficult  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
freight  carriers  caused  by  the  Italo-Turkish  War, 
and  later  by  the  great  European  War. 

Although  it  is  a  masterpiece,  yet  the  building 
appears  low  and  rather  squat  on  account  of  its 
large  ground  area.  Two  or  three  more  stories 
would  have  greatly  added  to  its  ,  dignity.  It  is 
surmounted  by  a  tall  slender  dome  which  can  be 
seen  for  miles  beyond  the  city  limits  from  the  fiat 
plains  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires. 

El  Congreso  faces  the  Plaza  del  Congreso  at  the 
extreme  western  end  of  the  Avenida  de  Mayo. 


18 


19 


• 


ROOM  WHERE  CONGRESS  MEETS,  EL 
CONGRESO. 


20 


LOUNGE  ROOM  OF  THE  REPRESENTA- 
TIVES, EL  CONGRESO. 

Note  the  costly  furniture. 


22 


23 


CAPITOL  BUILDING,  WESTERN  FACADE. 


THIS  building  which  is  the  capitol,  and 
called  Casa  de  Gobierno,  meaning 
Government  House,  is  generally  spoken 
of  as  the  Casa  Rosada,  or  Rose  Colored 
House  from  the  stucco  of  this  color  which  covers 
the  bricks  of  the  building.  It  covers  a  whole  city 
block.  Its  eastern  facade  faces  the  Colon  Park 
and  from  it  makes  an  imposing  appearance,  as 
from  there  it  stands  upon  an  eminence.  Its 
western  fagade  is  at  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the 
Plaza  de  Mayo,  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  syca- 
more bordered  Avenida  de  Mayo,  the  main 
boulevard  of  Buenos  Aires. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  beautiful  building  on  account 
of  its  color,  which  gives  it  a  rather  dirty  appearance. 


24 


25 


COURTYARD  OF  THE  CAPITOL. 


THE  interior  of  the  Casa  Rosada,  gives 
the  visitor  a  much  better  impression  of 
it  than  if  seen  from  the  outside.  The 
courtyard  is  bordered  by  broad  tile- 
paved  balconies,  whose  arches  are  supported  by 
Corinthian  pillars. 


26 


AUDIENCE  ROOM  OF  THE  CAPITOL. 

THIS   is   the  room  used  on  occasions 
of  state  where  the  president  receives 
his  visitors.    The  present  incumbent 
of  the  executive  power  is  Dr.  Victorino 
de  la  Plaza. 


28 


29 


CUSTOM  HOUSE. 

THE  custom  house,  called  the  Aduana,  is 
on  the  Colon  Park,  a  couple  of  blocks 
southeast  of  the  Casa  Rosada  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hill  and  across  the 
Avenida  del  Oeste  from  the  docks.    It  is  a  hand- 
some Renaissance  building  with  two  tall  square 
towers  rising  above  its  eastern  fagade. 


30 


31 


POST-OFFICE. 


IT  is  known  as  the  Correo.  Not  only  is  it  an 
eyesore,  but  it  is  a  disgrace  to  the  city.  This 
photograph  gives  it  a  pleasing  appearance. 
Dispel  the  illusion.  It  is  situated  at  the 
corner  of  Reconquista  and  Corrientes  Streets,  two 
blocks  north  of  the  banking  section  of  the  city. 
The  streets  here  are  for  but  one  direction  traffic, 
and  the  passenger  of  a  vehicle  to  reach  it  is  forced 
to  make  detours  in  order  to  reach  it.  As  the 
traffic  is  heavy  considerable  time  is  lost  in  reaching 
it.  The  building,  which  is  of  a  dirty  gray  in  color, 
was  built  to  accommodate  the  public  of  a  much 
smaller  city.  As  the  business  increases  in  volume, 
neighboring  buildings  are  leased  so  that  now  there 
is  no  system  in  its  arrangement. 

The  corner  room  in  the  immediate  foreground  on 
the  street  floor  is  devoted  to  the  sale  of  postage 
stamps.  To  mail  letters,  the  person  doing  so  is 
obliged  to  come  out  on  the  street  again,  and  walk 
half  a  block  up  Corrientes  Street,  the  thorough- 
fare to  the  right,  and  post  them  in  a  chute  in  a 
building  leased  for  that  purpose.  The  General 
Delivery  windows  are  in  a  building  a  half-block 
down  Reconquista  Street,  the  thoroughfare  here 
seen  at  the  left  of  the  photograph. 


32 


33 


LAW  COURTS. 

CALLED  the  Tribunales,  and  Palacio  de 
Justitia.  It  is  a  huge  Neo-Egyptian 
pile  in  the  business  section  of  the  city, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza  Lavalle. 
It  is  constantly  undergoing  a  process  of  exterior 
reconstruction,  as  is  seen  by  the  scaffolding  in  the 
accompanying  picture.  It  is  one  of  the  largest 
buildings  in  Buenos  Aires,  and  has  a  rather  severe 
and  frowning  appearance. 


34 


35 


CITY  HALL. 


IT  is  known  as  the  Municipalidad.  It  is  a  fine 
building  on  the  western  end  of  the  Plaza  de 
Mayo,  at  the  corner  of  the  Avenida  de 
Mayo.  It  extends  northward  to  Rivadavia 
Street,  at  which  corner  the  fagade  is  surmounted 
by  a  dome  crowned  by  a  very  tall  needle-like 
pinnacle,  which  is  original,  if  not  artistic.  The 
building,  though  modern,  is  hardly  large  enough 
to  be  adequate  for  a  city  of  the  size  of  Buenos 
Aires. 


36 


37 


NATIONAL   BOARD   OF  EDUCATION 
BUILDING. 


WE  have  no  institution  like  this  in  the 
United  States.   This  National  Board 
of  Education  controls  the  universi- 
ties, technical  schools,  as  well  as  the 
schools  of  secondary  and  primary  instruction. 


38 


39 


RIVADAVIA  SCHOOL. 

THIS  is  a  good  example  of  the  exterior 
aspect  of  a  Buenos  Aires  public  school. 
Buildings  used  for  these  purposes  do 
not  stand  back  from  the  street  in  a 
yard  like  the  North  American  ones,  but  are 
hemmed  in  between  other  buildings.  Their  appear- 
ance is  invariably  austere,  of  solid  classical  lines, 
which  brings  to  one's  mind  the  impression  of  a 
courthouse  or  post-office. 

This  school  is  named  in  honor  of  Bernardino 
Rivadavia,  President  of  Argentina,  1 826-1 827. 


40 


41 


ROCA  SCHOOL. 

ANOTHER  example  of  public  school 
building.  This  is  named  in  honor  of 
General  Julio  Argentino  Roca,  Presi- 
dent of  Argentina,  1 880-1 886. 


42 


43 


BUSINESS  COLLEGE. 


IN  exterior  appearance,  there  is  nothing  to 
distinguish  this  building  from  any  pubHc 
school  of  Buenos  Aires.    The  standard  of 
education  in  this  business  college  is  higher 
than  in  its  prototypes  in  the  United  States. 

There  are  in  Argentina,  National  Institutes. 
These  are  similar  to  the  French  Lycees,  combining 
science,  literature,  and  arts,  inferior  in  learning  to 
the  North  American  standard  universities,  but 
superior  to  the  high  schools. 


44 


45 


FACULTY  OF  MEDICINE. 

THIS  ultra  classical  building  is  commonly 
known  by  the  ghoulish  appellation  of 
*'The  Morgue/'    It  derives  this  non- 
euphonious  nickname  from  the  fact 
that  cadavers  are  here  dissected  by  the  medical 
students.   It  is  a  department  of  the  University  of 
Buenos  Aires. 


46 


47 


NATIONAL  LIBRARY. 


THE  Carnegie  Foundation  recently  gave 
this  library  a  present  of  20,000  volumes, 
with  the  proviso  that  the  Argentine 
Government  donate  one  or  more  rooms 
for  them,  and  that  they  shall  be  maintained  at  the 
expense  of  the  government. 


48 


49 


MAIN  OFFICE  OF  LA  PRENSA. 


LA  PRENSA  {The  Press)  is  the  world's 
greatest  newspaper.  It  has  also  a 
branch  office  in  Paris. 

Buenos  Aires  has  many  good  news- 
papers besides  La  Prensa,  La  Nacion  has  an 
enormous  circulation.  Newspapers  of  note  are, 
La  Razon,  La  Argentina,  Ultima  Llora,  and  La 
Union,  besides  many  others.  La  Union  is  con- 
trolled by  German  capital,  and  is  the  mouthpiece 
of  pro-Teutonic  propaganda.  There  are  also  daily 
newspapers  printed  in  many  foreign  languages, 
including  two  printed  in  English,  the  Standard  and 
the  Buenos  Aires  Herald.  According  to  the  writer 
the  last  two  are  not  worth  the  paper  they  are 
printed  on.  The  two  comic  weeklies.  Fray  Macho 
and  Caras  y  Carretas  are  equal  to  Puck  and  Judge. 

The  president  of  La  Prensa  is  Dr.  Davila,  one 
of  the  world's  foremost  newspaper  men,  a  financier, 
and  a  politician  of  such  great  importance  that  he 
can  be  styled  ''the  man  behind  the  gun.'' 

The  furnishing  and  equipment  of  the  La  Pre7isa 
office  building  is  most  sumptuous;  in  fact  it  is 
unparalleled.  It  has  banquet  rooms,  lounge 
rooms,  reading-rooms,  and  reminds  the  visitor  of 
an  elegant  club. 


50 


DIRECTORS'    ROOM,    LA  PRENSA. 
Note  the  elaborate  wood-carving. 


53 


BANQUET  HALL,  LA  PRENSA  BUILDING. 


THIS  room,  resplendent  with  gorgeous 
paintings,  is  used  not  only  as  a  banquet 
hall,  but  is  sometimes  converted  into  a 
lecture  and  entertainment  hall,  as  is 
depicted  in  this  photograph  with  its  regular  rows 
of  chairs,  ready  to  seat  an  audience. 


54 


55 


OFFICE   BUILDING   OF   THE  CENTRAL 
ARGENTINE  RAILWAY. 

THIS  great  railroad  system  has  its  offices 
in  the  heart  of  the  city.    The  edifice 
faces  the  Paseo  de  JuHo,  with  the  ticket 
office  at  the  corner  of  the  streets,  Barto- 
lome  Mitre,  and  25  de  Mayo. 

The  station  of  the  Central  Argentine  Railway  is 
the  largest  and  finest  in  all  South  America,  and  has 
recently  been  completed.  It  is  situated  in  the 
section  of  the  city  named  Retiro. 


56 


57 


ONCE  RAILROAD  STATION. 

THIS  is  the  station  of  the  Western  Rail- 
road. Until  the  new  Central  Argentine 
station  of  Retiro  was  built  Once  was 
conceded  to  be  the  best  railroad  station 
in  the  city.  It  is  situated  at  the  intersection  of  the 
streets,  Pueyrredon  and  Bartolome  Mitre  on  the 
Plaza  Once  de  Septiembre  (nth  of  September). 
The  Plaza  Once  is  about  a  mile  west  of  the  new 
Congressional  Building,  and  is  a  busy  electric  car 
center.   It  is  also  a  station  of  the  subway. 


58 


59 


PLAZA   CONSTITUCION  RAILROAD 
STATION. 


THIS  is  the  station  of  the  Southern  Rail- 
road, the  largest  railroad  system  in 
Argentina.  Nearly  all  the  lines  in  the 
republic  south  of  Buenos  Aires  belong 
to  the  Southern  Railroad.  From  this  station 
leave  all  trains  for  Mar  del  Plata,  Bahia  Blanca, 
and  the  towns  of  the  wheat  belt  in  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Aires. 

The  Plaza  Constitucion  is  a  busy  square,  a  mile 
south  of  the  Avenida  de  Mayo. 


6i 


THE  MATADEROS. 

THIS  is  the  name  given  to  the  large 
slaughter  house,  which  in  size  nearly 
equals  those  of  Chicago.  Strange  to 
relate,  the  district  that  has  been  built 
up  around  these  mataderos  is  named  Nueva 
Chicago  (New  Chicago).  As  Argentina  is  one  of 
the  greatest  beef  producing  countries  on  the  globe, 
the  mataderos  is  naturally  an  extremely  busy 
place. 


62 


63 


STOCKYARDS  OF  THE  MATADEROS,  PAR- 
TIAL VIEW. 


64 


65 


SCRAPING  ROOM,  MATADEROS. 


IN  this  picture  is  seen  the  hide  of  a  steer  pulled 
up  to  the  roof  by  means  of  a  pulley.  The 
laborers  by  means  of  sharp  knives  then 
scrape  off  the  fat  from  the  inside  of  the  hide, 
which  is  made  into  lard  and  candles. 


66 


67 


**YOUR  TURN  NEXT." 

NOTICE  the  sheep  in  the  pen  patiently 
waiting  for  their  turn  to  be  murdered, 
as  soon  as  the  workmen  have  trussed 
up  the  carcasses  of  their  brethren  to 
taken  away. 


68 


GERMAN  CLUB. 

ALTHOUGH  of  the  foreigners  in  Buenos 
Aires,  the  Germans  are  outnumbered 
by  the  ItaHans,  Spaniards,  EngHshmen, 
Frenchmen,  and  Russian  Jews,  never- 
theless they  have  the  finest  club  house  (private). 
They  have  built  their  club  in  the  Hanseatic  style 
of  architecture,  which  in  Buenos  Aires  offers  a 
pleasant  contrast  to  the  Italian  architecture  of  the 
majority  of  buildings. 


70 


71 


JOCKEY  CLUB. 


THIS  is  the  wealthiest  ckib  in  the  world. 
It  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Florida 
Street,  midway  between  the  Avenida 
de  Mayo  and  the  Plaza  San  Martin. 
Its  style  of  architecture  is  rococo.  Notice  the 
blind  wall  at  the  extreme  left.  It  also  has  one  at 
the  extreme  right.  These  are  built  for  privacy,  so 
that  the  occupants  of  the  neighboring  buildings 
cannot  be  constantly  ''rubbering/'  thus  freeing 
the  members  from  annoyance.  The  blind  walls 
also  add  to  the  appearance  of  the  building. 

The  Jockey  Club  has  nearly  2000  members. 
The  entrance  fee  costs  3000  pesos  ($1284)  while  the 
annual  dues  are  $72  exclusive  of  anything.  The 
income  of  the  club,  largely  derived  from  its  race 
track,  amounts  to  $600,000  a  year.  The  club 
has  offered  at  its  own  expense  to  widen  some  of 
the  narrow  streets  in  the  congested  center  of  the 
city  and  to  open  up  new  arteries  of  traffic  to  do 
away  with  the  congestion. 

There  is  much  electioneering  at  the  election  of 
officers  of  the  club.  The  Presidency  is  such  a 
great  honor  and  the  rivalry  is  often  so  keen,  that 
the  car  fares  of  members  who  reside  in  such  remote 
corners  of  the  republic  as  Salta  is  sometimes  paid 
for  them  to  come  to  cast  their  vote  for  their  friend 
who  covets  this  honor. 


72 


73 


ATRIUM  OF  THE  JOCKEY  CLUB. 
Note  the  costly  and  elegant  Roman  decorations. 


74 


75 


BALCONY  AROUND  COURTYARD  OF 
JOCKEY  CLUB. 


76 


77 


DOMINO  ROOM  OF  THE  JOCKEY  CLUB. 


THIS  fine  room  is  devoted  to  the  lovers  of 
chess,  dominos,  cards,  and  other  table 
games.  Although  poker  is  played  in  the 
club,  it  is  done  in  another  room.  The 
writer  understands  that  the  stakes  are  moderate. 


78 


79 


DINING-ROOM,  JOCKEY  CLUB. 

THE  cuisine  of  the  Jockey  Club  is  un- 
excelled. 
Most  of  the  personnel  are  French, 
from  the  chef  to  the  gargon. 


80 


8i 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  RACE  TRACK. 


THE  Jockey  Club  maintains  its  race  track 
in  Palermo  Park,  about  one  half  hour 
by  automobile  from  the  center  of  the 
city.    The  betting  is  done  by  the 
system  called  ''mutuals/' 

The  open  promenade  in  this  picture  is  covered 
with  small  yellow-brown  polished  pebbles  brought 
by  train  from  the  seaboard. 

Races  take  place  every  Thursday  and  Sunday 
afternoons. 


GRANDSTANDS  OF  THE  RACE  TRACK. 


THESE  are  the  oeuvres   of  the  French 
architect,  M.    Faure   Dujarric.  The 
one  in  the  foreground  is  reserved  for 
members  only. 
Ladies,  unattended,  are  refused  admittance  to 
the  grandstand. 

At  this  race  track  is  to  be  seen  the  cream  of  the 
most  fashionable  dressmakers'  art.  At  no  place  in 
the  universe  is  such  fashion  of  the  latest  creations 
seen.  It  is  said  that  the  dernier  cri  of  Paris 
creations  are  worn  in  Buenos  Aires  before  the 
French  dressmakers  put  them  on  the  market  in 
their  own  capital.  The  Jockey  Club  grandstand 
is  the  place  to  see  them,  especially  on  Sunday 
afternoons. 


84 


85 


THE  ARGENTINE  HIPPODROME. 

ANOTHER  race  track  of  Buenos  Aires. 
Here  also  take  place  other  athletic 
events,  such  as  football,  tennis,  and 
cricket. 


86 


87 


RACE  COURSE,  ARGENTINE 
HIPPODROME. 

HORSE  races  are  society  events  in  the 
Argentine  metropolis.    Here  one  does 
not  need  rub  shoulders  with  the  low- 
lived touts  that  congregate  around  the 
English  and  North  American  paddocks.  Notice 
the  dresses  of  the  ladies  and  the  cylinder  hats  worn 
by  the  men. 


88 


89 


RECONQUISTA  STREET. 


RECONQUISTA  means  "reconquest/' 
This  street  was  formerly  named  Piedad 
''piety."  It  is  the  banking  street  of 
Buenos  Aires.  Many  of  these  banks 
are  very  large  affairs,  especially  the  Bank  of  the 
Argentine  Nation,  which  has  branches  in  nearly 
every  town  in  the  republic.  Its  president  is  Dr. 
Manuel  de  Iriondo. 

Other  large  banks  on  Reconquista  Street  are 
the  German  Bank  of  South  America,  the  German 
Overseas  Bank,  the  Bank  of  London  and  River 
Plate,  the  London  and  Brazilian  Bank,  and  the 
Spanish  Bank  of  the  River  Plate. 

These  bank  buildings,  although  large,  are  inferior 
to  those  of  New  York,  and  of  Montreal. 


91 


PLAZA   DE  MAYO. 


THIS  picture  is  of  the  Rivadavia  Street 
vside  of  the  Plaza  de  Mayo,  the  most 
important  plaza  of  Buenos  Aires.  The 
view  is  looking  east.  The  building  in 
the  left  foreground  is  the  cathedral.  Note  the 
Corinthian  capital  on  smooth  columns.  This 
cathedral  is  built  somewhat  on  the  style  of  the 
Madeleine  in  Paris,  although  much  smaller.  Like 
most  Catholic  churches  in  Buenos  Aires,  it  is  nearly 
always  closed,  especially  when  a  sightseer  wants  to 
visit  it. 

The  last  building  to  the  right  is  the  Bank  of  the 
Argentine  Nation,  at  the  corner  of  Reconquista 
Street. 

This  photograph  is  an  old  one  taken  some  years 
ago  by  PL  G.  Olds,  the  pioneer  photographer. 
Horse  cars  are  here  seen.  With  the  exception  that 
there  are  no  more  horse  cars  in  Buenos  Aires  this 
photograph  could  be  of  the  present  day,  as  the 
same  buildings  are  standing. 


92 


93 


AVENIDA  DE  MAYO. 

THIS  is  the  great  boulevard  of  Buenos 
Aires.  It  is  about  one  mile  in  length, 
starting  at  the  Plaza  de  Mayo  and 
terminating  at  the  Plaza  Congreso. 
A  subway  runs  its  whole  length  but  there  are  no 
surface  cars.  This  street  contains  many  ''islands'* 
in  the  center  like  the  Parisian  boulevards,  where 
the  pedestrian  can  find  security  from  the  swiftly 
driven  vehicles. 

The  Avenida  de  Mayo  is  the  great  promenade, 
where  rich  and  poor  alike  walk  by,  taking  in  the 
sights.  It  teems  with  cafes,  all  of  which  have  iron- 
topped  tables  in  front  of  them  on  the  sidewalk. 
Here  sit  the  students  of  human  nature  to  while 
away  the  time,  imbibing  soft  and  hard  refresh- 
ments while  they  are  being  pestered  by  boot- 
blacks, lottery  ticket  vendors,  flower  girls,  peddlers, 
stranded  bums,  and  beggars. 

Some  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  city  are  to  be 
found  on  this  street,  namely,  the  Majestic,  Paris, 
Splendid,  Espafia,  Esclava,  and  Gaviezel.  The 
shops  are  of  the  inferior  kind,  many  being  owned 
by  Russian  Jews.  The  end  of  the  Avenida  here 
depicted  is  that  where  it  joins  the  Plaza  de  Mayo. 
The  large  building  at  the  near  right  is  the  City 
Hall.  The  edifice  adjoining  it  to  the  left,  and  whose 
tower  is  elaborated  by  a  statue,  is  that  of  La 
Prensa. 

In  the  hazy  distance  note  the  faint  outlines  of 
the  Congressional  Building. 

94 


95 


BARTOLOME  MITRE  STREET. 


THIS   street  parallels  the  Avenida  de 
Mayo  two  blocks  north  of  it.    It  is  a 
business  street  devoted  to  omnifarious 
trades.    It  is  typical  of  any  of  the 
streets  in  the  business  section  of  the  Argentine 
metropolis. 


96 


97 


FLORIDA  STREET. 


AMED  after  our  state,  which  at  the 
time  this  street  was  laid  out  was  a 


colony  of  Spain. 

This  is  the  Bond  Street  of  Buenos 


Aires.  Its  buildings  are  two  and  three  stories 
high.  The  shops,  like  in  most  Latin  countries,  are 
small,  but  the  displays  are  grand,  as  well  as  the 
prices  charged.  The  street  is  narrow  and  after 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening  no  vehicles  are  allowed 
to  pass  over  it,  for  then,  at  the  promenade  hour, 
it  is  congested  with  strollers.  On  this  Calle 
Florida  is  to  be  seen  more  class  in  dress  than  on 
the  famous  Avenida. 


98 


DEFENSA  STREET. 


SO  called  for  here  were  formerly  the  forti- 
fications to  defend  the  city  against  an 
attack  from  the  sea.     This  street  runs 
south  from  the  Plaza  de  Mayo  in  the 
same  position  as  Reconquista  Street  runs  north 
of  it. 


100 


lOI 


TUCUMAN  STREET. 

AN    Argentine    city    without    its  Calle 
Tucuman  would  be  an  exception,  for  it 
is  the  custom  in  that  country  for  the 
city  streets  to  be    named  after  the 
provinces,   as   well   as   after  its  patriots  and 
presidents. 

Calle  Tucuman  is  the  seventh  street  north  of  the 
Avenida  de  Mayo,  and  runs  parallel  to  it. 

The  view  in  this  photograph  is  looking  eastward 
on  it  from  the  Plaza  Lavalle.  The  building  at  the 
left  is  the  Colon  Theatre;  that  to  the  right  is  the 
Roca  School. 


102 


A  BUENOS  AIRES  MARKET. 


104 


I05 


A  CONVENTILLO. 


ACONVENTILLO  is  the  name  for  a  blind 
alley.    Many  do  not  exist  in  the  Argen- 
tine metropolis,  and  they  are  only  to 
be  found  in  the  slums.     They  are  the 
abodes  of  the  poorest  class  of  inhabitants  and  are 
dirty,  as  can  be  seen  in  this  photograph. 


io6 


107 


AVENIDA  ALVEAR. 


THIS  is  the  most  beautiful  avenue  of 
Buenos  Aires,  the  residential  street  of 
the  aristocracy.   Next  to  Fifth  Avenue 
in  New  York,  it  is  doubtful  if  there 
exists  anywhere  else  in  the  world  such  a  magnifi- 
cent row  of  palaces. 


1 08 


I09 


ANOTHER   VIEW   OF   THE  BEAUTIFUL 
AVENIDA  ALVEAR. 


no 


Ill 


RIVADAVIA  STREET,  FLORES. 


CALLE  RIVADAVIA  can  justly  be  called 
the  main  street  of  Buenos  Aires.  It  is 
the  longest  street  in  the  city  and  bisects 
it  from  east  to  west  in  two  nearly  equal 
parts.  It  starts  at  the  water  front  and  continues 
into  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  Federal  Capital.  It  is  also  the  divid- 
ing line  of  the  nomenclatures  of  its  cross  streets : — 
for  instance,  the  same  street  south  of  it  is  named 
Salta,  north  of  it,  it  is  named  Libertad.  The 
Avenida  de  Mayo  parallels  it  for  about  a  mile,  one 
short  block  to  its  south.  After  reaching  the  Plaza 
Congreso,  the  subway  curves  to  the  north  and 
continues  under  Rivadavia  nearly  its  whole  length 
westward  to  the  city  limits. 

Calle  Rivadavia  is  very  narrow  in  the  downtown 
district,  but  widens  out  considerably  after  the 
Plaza  Congreso. 

This  photograph  is  of  the  street  in  Flores,  now  a 
part  of  Buenos  Aires  to  which  it  was  annexed  in 
1887. 


112 


AVENIDA  MANUEL  MONTES  DE  OCA. 

THIS  is  the  main  street  of  the  district  of 
the  city  named  Barracas.    Barracas  is 
the  name  given  to  one  of  the  southern 
parts  of  the  city.    Montes  de  Oca  is  a 
characteristic  principal  thoroughfare  of  a  suburban 
district,  broad,  with  rows  of  sycamore  trees  planted 
between  the  sidewalk  and  the  road. 


114 


115 


PASEO  DE  JULIO  IN  1888. 

THIS  photograph  by  H.  G.  Olds  gives  us 
an  idea  what  this  street   was  like 
twenty-nme  years  ago.    As  can  be  here 
seen,  ''white  wings''  existed  in  Buenos 
Aires  at  that  time. 


116 


117 


PASEO  DE  JULIO,  1907. 


NOTE  the  great  contrast  between  this 
and  the  preceding  picture.    It  is  the 
same  street.    The  unseemly  buildings 
have  been  replaced  by  shady  boule- 
vards, with  fountains,  statues,  and  flowerbeds. 
This  statue  depicts  Indians  captured  by  the 
■  Spaniards.   Its  name  is  ''Captivity.'' 


119 


STATUE  IN  THE  PLAZA  LOREA. 


B 


UENOS  AIRES  has  rightfully  deserved  the 
appellation,  ''The  Athens  of  America." 
It  abounds  in  statues  and  monuments, 
the  works  of  art  of  Italian  sculptors. 


Most  of  these  statues  are  sculptured  in  Genoa  and 
transported  at  a  great  expense  to  Buenos  Aires. 
Rosario  with  its  great  Italian  colony  is  rapidly 
coming  to  the  front  as  a  center  of  sculptural  art. 
Many  statues  and  monuments  that  have  been 
placed  in  the  Bonaerense  parks  and  cemeteries  in 
late  years  are  the  work  of  Rosarino  artists. 

The  name  of  this  statue  is  **The  Desire  for 
Knowledge." 


1 20 


121 


STATUE  OF  "DOUBT." 

THIS  masterpiece  is  situated  in  the  Plaza  San 
Martin. 


122 


123 


STATUE  IN  PALERMO  PARK. 

THIS  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  chiseled  marble 
named  ''Farewell." 


124 


125 


LOLA  MORA  FOUNTAIN. 


126 


STATUE  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

THE  name  of  the  North  American  patriot  is 
synonymous  with  liberty,  and  therefore 
is  dear  to  Argentina  hearts  in  the  same 
way  as  is  Bolivar,  Sucre,  Garibaldi, 

and  others. 


128 


129 


LAVALLE  MONUMENT. 


THIS  monument  stands  in  the  Plaza  of  the 
same  name.    The  building  in  the  left 
background  is  the  Law  Courts.  The 
street  in  the  center  background  is 
Tucuman,  looking  westward. 

Lavalle  was  an  Argentine  patriot  and  was  one  of 
the  six  men  that  ruled  the  country  in  conjunction 
between  the  years  1828  and  1834. 


GARIBALDI  STATUE. 

HIS  memorial  to  Giuseppe  Garibaldi  was 
erected  by  the  Italian  colony.  Gari- 
baldi once  lived  in  Buenos  Aires  during 
his  adventurous  career. 


132 


133 


SAN  MARTIN  STATUE. 


NO  Argentina  city  is  complete  without  a 
statue  dedicated  to  the  memory  of 
the  Father  of  Argentine  Independence. 
There  is  scarcely  a  city  in  the  whole 
republic  that  does  not  possess  one  of  these  memori- 
als, and  also  a  plaza  to  the  Liberator.  San  Martin 
was  one  of  the  great  men  of  South  America,  yet 
the  custom  of  attaching  his  name  to  the  finest  park 
and  statue  in  every  Argentine  city,  as  well  as  to 
cocktails,  is  to  the  stranger  as  monotonous  as  it  is 
to  the  native,  patriotic. 

This  great  general  was  born  in  Ybicui,  in 
Paraguay. 

The  Plaza  San  Martin  is  at  the  end  of  the  Calle 
Florida.  On  it  are  the  American  EmbaSvSy,  the 
Plaza  Hotel,  and  the  gigantic  private  palaces  of 
the  families  Basualdo,  Paz,  and  Anchorena.  The 
last-named  one  covers  a  whole  city  block  and  is 
seen  in  the  background. 


134 


135 


FRENCH  MONUMENT. 

IT  is  customary  in  some  South  American 
cities  for  each  foreign  colony  to  present  the 
municipahty  with  a  monument  represent- 
ing the  nation  from  which  the  colony  is 
from.    In  Buenos  Aires,  the  French  monument  is 
the  best  of  these. 


136 


137 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  RECOLETA. 


RECOLETA  is  the  name  generally  applied 
to  the  Cementerio  del  Norte  (Northern 
Cemetery)  and  is  the  favorite  burial 
place  of  the  Portefio  (Buenos  Aires) 
aristocracy.  In  Argentina  and  most  South  Ameri- 
can countries,  the  wealthy  dead  are  interred  in 
vaults;  those  of  the  poorer  families  are  buried  in 
the  ground  with  a  stone  slab  over  their  grave,  and 
with  a  cross  to  mark  the  headpiece;  the  very 
poorest  are  placed  in  niches  in  the  cemetery  walls, 
one  on  top  of  another  like  the  catacombs. 


138 


139 


A  STREET  OF  THE  DEAD. 


THIS  is  a  typical  street  in  the  Recoleta. 
The  individual  tombs  are  often  costly 
elaborations,  many  of  which  are  of 
marble,  the  figures  being  sculptured  by 
artisans  of  Genoa  or  of  Rosario.  To  the  writer, 
Recoleta  seems  a  most  gruesome  place,  especially 
at  midday  when  it  is  nearly  empty  of  visitors,  and 
the  summer  sun  beats  with  its  blinding  glare  upon 
the  houses  of  the  dead.  This  lugubrious  effect  is 
still  more  enhanced  by  the  presence  of  black  cats, 
which,  like  evil  spirits,  dart  among  the  tombstones. 


AYERZA  MONUMENT,  RECOLETA. 

THIS  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  works 
of  art  in  the  Recoleta. 


142 


143 


JOSE  SEMINO  VAULT,  RECOLETA 

THIS  is  one  of  the  better  class  vaults  of  the 
Recoleta. 


144 


DORREGO  ORTIZ  BASUALDO  TOMB,  RE- 
COLETA. 


THE  Basualdo  family  is  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est of  Buenos  Aires.  The  final  rest- 
ing place  of  this  member  of  the  family 
is  the  acme  of  art  and  originality. 


146 


147 


SANTO  DOMINGO  CHURCH. 
This  House  of  God  dates  from  Colonial  times. 


148 


149 


SANTA  CATALINA  DE  SENA  CHURCH. 

THIS  edifice  dedicated  to  the  worship 
of  the  Christian  religion  likewise  dates 
from  the  Colonial  period. 


150 


INTERIOR  OF  SAN  NICOLAS  CHURCH. 

THIS  church  has  the  most  superb  in- 
terior decorations  of  any  in  Buenos 
Aires. 


152 


CHURCH  OF  THE  CONCEPCION. 

THIS  church  is  an  old-timer.  Its  exterior 
is  plain.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  tile 
dome,  with  dark  blue  squares  on  a 
white  background. 


154 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 

THIS  large  church  is  very  popular.  It 
is  situated  on  Callao  Street  not  far 
from  the  aristocratic  residential  sec- 
tion. 


156 


157 


BASILICA  OF  THE  CONCEPCION,  BEL- 
GRANO. 

BELGRANO  is  a  suburb  of  the  Argentine 
metropolis,  the  abode  of  many  Enghsh 
famihes.  This  handsome  church  is  near 
the  center  of  the  district. 


158 


\ 


WHEAT  ELEVATORS. 

BUENOS  AIRES  is  one  of  the  great  wheat 
ports  of  the  world.    From  the  appear- 
ance of  its  elevators,  one  might  imagine 
oneself  to  be  in  Fort  William  or  Duluth. 
Bahia  Blanca  also  has  immense  wheat  elevators, 
the  largest  in  Argentina  being  located  there. 


i6o 


i6i 


BASUALDO  PALACE. 


BUENOS  AIRES  boasts  of  a  few  of  the 
finest  private  residences  in  existence. 
Three  of  these  should  take  the  blue 
ribbon,  namely  the  palatial  residences 
of  Sefiors  Basualdo,  Paz,  and  Anchorena.  All 
three  are  situated  on  the  Plaza  San  Martin. 

Tills  is  the  palatial  residence  of  Sefior  BasualdOe 


162 


PAZ  PALACE. 

THIS  palace  of  Senor  Paz  is  indeed  a 
paragon.    It  much  resembles  the  pal- 
ace of  Baron  Rothschild  in  Vienna. 
Take  notice  of  the  decorations  of  the 
chimneys.    The  Argentino  has  a  knack  of  spend- 
ing his  money  to  the  best  advantage.  This 
residence  is  a  testimony. 


164 


A  BUENOS  AIRES  RESIDENCE. 

THIS  house  is  built  in  a  district  of  the 

city  where  one  is  not  cramped  too 

much  for  room.  It  is  more  on  the 
style  of  a  country  home. 


i66 


167 


HOUSE  OF  THE  COLONIAL  PERIOD. 


THIS  house  was  built  when  Buenos  Aires 
was  a   colony  of  Spain.    Notice  its 
humbleness  when  compared  with  the 
palatial  abodes  of  today.    No  doubt 
its  occupants  were  just  as  happy,  as  are  the  high- 
brows who  reside  at  the  present  time  on  the  Plaza 
San  Martin  or  on  the  Avenida  Alvear. 


169 


HOME  OF  THE  TYRANT  ROZAS. 

THIS  rambling  building,  the  home  of 
Rozas,  has  been  torn  down.  It  was 
formerly  situated  in  what  is  now 
Palermo  Park. 
Juan  Manuel  Rozas  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing figures  in  Argentine  history.  For  seventeen 
years  (1835-1852),  he  was  Dictator  of  Argentina. 
He  was  overthrown,  and  took  refuge  in  England, 
where  he  died  in  1877. 


170 


171 


HOUSE  WHERE  ROZAS  WAS  BORN. 


IT  is  still  standing.    Its  location  is  on  the 
western  outskirts  of  Buenos  Aires.    It  is 
a  good  example  of  Bonaerense  country 
house  of  the  Colonial  period.    Here  in 
1793,  Juan  Manuel  Rozas  was  born. 


172 


PALERMO  PARK. 


THIS  is  the  great  park  of  Buenos  Aires, 
likewise  the  corso  of  the  elite  on 
Sunday  afternoons.  It  is  a  beautiful 
park  with  great  wide  drives,  artificial 
lakes  teeming  with  black  swans,  ibis,  and  other 
aquatic  birds,  with  palms,  and  trees  of  the  temper- 
ate zone,  with  beautiful  flowerbeds  and  shrubs. 
On  its  benches,  at  dusk,  lovers  hold  their  amours. 
It  is  well  policed,  and  patrolled,  and  although  there 
seems  to  be  no  speed  limit  as  to  automobiles,  there 
is  rarely  an  accident. 


174 


175 


ARTIFICIAL  LAKE  IN  PALERMO  PARK. 
Note  the  swans  both  black  and  white. 


176 


177 


LLAMAS  AT  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDEN. 


pE  zoological  garden  at  Buenos  Aires 
is  an  institution  that  every  Porteno 
should  be  proud  of.  A  zoologist  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institute  told  the  writer 


that  no  other  zoological  garden  in  the  world  is 
in  the  same  class  with  that  of  Buenos  Aires.  The 
writer  has  visited  many  zoological  gardens  and 
agrees  with  what  he  was  told  by  the  Smithsonian 
zoologist.  There  is  an  excellent  zoological  garden 
at  La  Plata.  It  has  for  years  been  the  custom, 
when  two  animals  of  the  same  species  are  presented 
to  the  garden  at  Buenos  Aires  to  send  one  to  La 


The  vile  animals  in  the  picture  are  llamas  or 
Peruvian  sheep.  When  approached  too  closely 
it  is  their  mean  habit  to  spit  an  evil  smelling  fluid 
on  the  person.  They  likewise  delight  in  urinating 
on  the  unsuspecting  stranger. 


Plata. 


178 


179 


"NUMA"  AND  "SABOR." 


THE  lion  house  swelters  on  a  summer 
day.    The   lions   on   such  occasions 
approach  the  bars  to  get  a  breath 
of  fresh  air.    Some  of  these  felines  are 
remarkable  specimens. 


i8o 


ITINERANT  CIGAR  VENDOR. 


THIS  class  of  people,  the  majority  being 
of  Italian  birth  or  extraction,  pay  but  a 
small  license  for  the  privilege  of  toting 
a  kit.  They  mostly  ply  their  wares 
in  the  district  named  Boca,  at  the  docks  and 
under  the  arcades  of  the  Paseo  de  Julio,  where 
Italians  and  seamen  resort.  Their  wares  are 
vile,  and  many  of  the  so-called  Toscanas  are  but 
spurious  imitations  manufactured  locally.  This 
''Dago''  carries  a  pouch  for  his  change. 


183 


PEDDLERS  OF  BREAD  AND  VEGETABLES. 


THESE  men  go  from  door  to  door  hawking 
their  wares.    Their  approach  is  herald- 
ed by  loud  cries.    As  a  rule  they  are 
the  employed  agents  of  petty  mer- 
chants, and  get  a  commission  on  their  sales. 
Men   engaged    in    this    business    are  mostly 
Levantines,  Greeks,  Syrians,  and  Turks. 


1 85 


GARLIC  AND  ONION  PEDDLER. 


THIS  type  of  itinerant  vendor  represents 
the  lowest  type  of  immigrant — the  Rus- 
sian Jew.  Not  only  is  lower  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York,  a  paradise  for  this 
species  of  Kike,  but  they  have  recently  found  that 
Buenos  Aires  is  a  suitable  place  to  install  their 
inborn  filthy  habits.  There  is  a  veritable  colony 
of  Russian  and  Galician  Jews  on  the  Calles  Ombii 
and  Junin.  The  older  specimens  of  the  race  wear 
corkscrew  sideburns,  and  the  only  time  they 
get  their  faces  washed  is  when  it  rains  on  them. 


i86 


i87 


TYPICAL  BAR,  BUENOS  AIRES. 


THOUGH  it  is  seldom  that  one  sees  a 
drunken  Argentino  on  the  streets  in 
Buenos  Aires,  yet  he  is  by  no  means  a 
teetotaler,  as  can  be  brought  to  evi- 
dence by  the  myriads  of  bars  that  exist  in  the 
Argentine  metropolis.  The  Argentino  takes  his 
drinks  seated,  and  like  the  European  he  takes 
his  time  to  imbibe  them,  relishing  each  swallow. 
Thus  while  bars  exist  everywhere,  they  are  em- 
ployed mainly  as  service  bars,  where  the  mixolo- 
gist concocts  and  mixes  the  imbibation,  and  where 
the  white-aproned  waiter  sets  his  tray  while  wait- 
ing for  the  libation.  Soft  drinks  are  drunk  as 
much  as  are  alcoholic  ones,  the  favorites  of  this 
nature  being  grenadine,  strawberry,  or  rasp- 
berry syrup  to  which  is  added  carbonated  water 
and  ice.  As  in  the  United  States,  they  are  par- 
taken of  through  a  straw. 

The  bar  in  the  photograph  (taken  by  H.  G.  Olds) 
is  that  in  the  Rotisserie  Sportsman,  a  restaurant 
of  Epicurean  delights. 


i88 


THE  RIACHUELO. 


THIS  is  the  name  given  to  the  Matanzas 
River  at  the  districts  Barracas  and 
Boca.  It  flows  into  the  River  Plate 
at  Boca,  and  on  it  anchor  many  trans- 
atlantic freighters.  Its  banks  are  lined  with  sail 
boats  which  have  come  from  the  up-river  ports. 
The  Riachuelo  always  presents  an  animated 
scene.  On  the  south  side  is  the  municipality  of 
Avellaneda,  quite  distinct  from  Buenos  Aires. 


190 


THE  RIACHUELO. 

HIS  photograph  shows  the  bridge  be- 
tween the  Buenos  Aires  district  of 
Barracas  and  the  town  of  Avellaneda, 
which  is  seen  at  the  right. 


192 


STATUE  OF  AVELLANEDA,  AVELLANEDA. 

THE  town  and  commune  of  Avellaneda, 
lie  directly  south  of  Buenos  Aires  across 
the  Riachuelo  from  the  district  named 
Barracas,  and  had  a  population  of  146, 
415  inhabitants  in  191 5.    Avellaneda  is  a  rough 
place,  and  has  a  bad  name,  on  account  of  the 
many  tough  characters  residing  there. 

Avellaneda  is  named  in  honor  of  an  Argentine 
president,  Dr.  Nicolas  Avellaneda,  whose  beauti- 
ful statue  here  appears  as  a  tribute  to  his  memory 
from  a  loving  public.  He  was  Chief  Executive  of 
Argentina  from  1874  1880. 


194 


PROVINCE  OF  BUENOS  AIRES. 


AN  Argentine  province  is  a  geographical 
and  political  division  corresponding  to 
one  of  our  states.  They  vary  greatly 
in  size,  and  are  divided  into  numerous 
departments  equivalent  to  our  counties.  Each 
province  has  its  capital  where  the  legislature 
meets.  The  central  government  does  not  hold 
as  much  power  over  the  provinces  as  ours  does 
over  our  states,  thereby  making  each  province 
more  autonomous. 

The  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  which  should 
not  be  confounded  with  the  city  of  that  name 
(each  being  a  totally  different  political  division)  is 
the  largest  province  of  the  republic,  having  an 
area  of  117,821  square  miles.  It  is  about  the 
size  of  New  Mexico,  twice  the  size  of  either  Michi- 
gan or  Florida,  and  9000  square  miles  larger  than 
the  combined  area  of  all  the  New  England  States 
and  New  York.  In  191 5  its  population  numbered 
2,048,786  inhabitants. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  province  presents  the 
aspect  of  a  large  treeless  plain,  given  up  to  the 
cultivation  of  wheat  and  to  the  grazing  of  live 

196 


stock.  This  plain  which  rises  at  the  rate  of  three 
feet  a  mile  as  it  runs  westward,  to  the  eye  appears 
to  be  a  perfectly  level  monotony.  In  the  southern 
part  of  the  province  are  a  series  of  high  hills,  barren 
and  rolling,  whose  culminating  peak  is  the  Sierra 
de  Tandil,  1476  feet  high.  There  are  numerous 
small  rivers  and  creeks,  all  flowing  sluggishly,  on 
account  of  the  trivial  variation  in  altitudes  of  the 
plain,  and  it  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  these  that 
are  to  be  found  practically  the  only  trees  in  the 
province  not  planted  by  the  hands  of  man.  They 
form  a  fringe  along  the  river  banks.  In  the  south- 
eastern and  eastern  parts  of  the  province  we  may 
make  an  exception,  for  here  and  there  on  the  land- 
scape, a  great  distance  apart  from  each  other,  grew 
single  trees,  large,  and  shady,  and  visible  for 
miles,  the  ombii,  whose  wood  is  worthless,  and 
whose  only  excuse  for  usefulness  is  that,  under- 
neath their  spreading  foliage,  they  afforded  a 
pleasant  shade  for  the  Gaucho  to  take  his  siesta. 

The  province  has  a  coast  line  of  900  miles  on  the 
Atlantic  and  on  the  River  Plate.  It  has  no  good 
harbors.  An  artificial  basin  has  been  built  at 
Ensefiada,  the  port  of  La  Plata,  and  a  naval 
harbor  has  been  built  at  Puerto  Belgrano.  Bahia 
Blanca  has  a  harbor,  its  port  town  being  named 
Ingeneiro  White,  from  which  large  shipments  of 
grain  are  exported. 

The  province  is  well  supplied  with  railroads,  of 
w^hich  there  are  ten  different  companies  operating. 
The  chief  one  of  these,  which  also  is  the  leading 

197 


railway  of  Argentina,  is  the  Ferrocarril  Sud  (South- 
ern Railway).  It  networks  the  province  of 
Buenos  Aires  with  its  antennas. 

La  Plata  is  the  capital  of  the  province,  and  is 
likely  to  remain  so.  Two  other  cities  are  covetous 
of  that  honor,  Bahia  Blanca,  the  great  wheat  port, 
and  Mar  del  Plata,  the  summer  resort. 


198 


COUNTRY  HOUSE,  PROVINCE  OF  BUENOS 
AIRES. 


THESE  country  scenes  are  photographs 
from  different  estancias  in  the  Province 
of  Buenos  Aires.  The  great  majority 
of  Argentine  millionaires  made  their 
money  from  cattle  raising  or  from  wheat.  Land 
was  cheap,  the  pastures  good,  and  the  climate 
such  that  cattle  could  roam  in  the  open  the  whole 
year  around.  To-day,  as  land  is  comparatively 
expensive,  no  great  fortunes  are  going  to  be  made 
through  these  occupations  as  formerly.  Many 
of  the  great  stockmen  reside  in  Buenos  Aires,  and 
make  several  annual  visits  to  their  estancias. 
Some  of  these  have  fine  country  dwellings,  where 
the  proprietor  sojourns  during  his  visit.  The 
Argentine  estanciero  is  a  true  lord,  and  lives  in  a 
regal  way. 

The  house  in  this  photograph  is  a  good  type  of 
better  class  ranch  house. 


200 


201 


COUNTRY  HOUSE,  PROVINCE  OF  BUENOS 

AIRES. 


202 


203 


ESTANCIA  ''SAN  JACINTO." 

THE  owner  of  this  estancia  is  so  opulent 
that  he  can  aflford  to  have  his  private 
chapel  on  his  ranch,  where  the  priest 
<:omes  Sundays  to  hold  mass  for  the 
laborers.     This  tree-bordered  foot-path  leads  to 
the  country  house.    To  the  right  can  be  seen  the 
chapel. 


204 


205 


ESTANCIA  "SAN  FERNANDO." 

OME  of  the  country  seats  of  Argentine 
millionaires  are  chateaux.  San  Fernando 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  republic. 


206 


207 


ESTANCIA  "LOS  REMEDIOS." 


208 


209 


ESTANCIA  "SANTA  CATALINA." 


2IO 


211 


ESTANCIA    VILLA  ELISA/' 

THIS  country  seat  is  situated  on  the 
Southern  Railroad  a  short  distance 
north  of  La  Plata.  The  estate  abounds 
with  groves  of  eucalyptus  trees,  has 
broad  alUes  of  shade  trees,  and  has  a  park  with 
numerous  statues.  A  creek  flows  through  the 
estate  and  on  a  pier  in  the  middle  of  it,  stands  the 
statue  of  a  nude  goddess. 


212 


213 


ESTANCIA  "EL  SOCORRO." 

« 

THE  estancia  El  Socorro  is  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  Province  of  Buenos 
Aires,  near  the  boundary  Hne  of  the 
Province  of  Santa  Fe.    It  is  on  the 
Central  Argentina  Railroad,  i6i  miles  north  of 
the  city  of  Buenos  Aires,  and  i8  miles  north  of 
Pergamino. 

The  soil  here  is  rather  sandy,  as  can  be  seen  by 
the  pines,  hemlocks,  and  agaves  in  this  photo- 
graph. 


215 


FLOCK  OF  SHEEP  ON  "EL  SOCORRO." 


2l6 


SHEEP  ON  AN  ESTANCIA,  PROVINCE  OF 
BUENOS  AIRES. 


2l8 


219 


ARGENTINE  SHEEP. 


220 


221 


GUANACOS  ON  AN  ESTANCIA. 


HOUGH  guanacos  are  raised  in  Pata- 
gonia for  their  wool,  it  is  done  nowhere 
else  in  Argentina.    These  guanacos  in 
the  photograph  are  raised  through  the 
of  a  rich  proprietor. 


ESTANCIA  "CURUMALAN/' 

THESE  are  some  of  the  stables  on  the 
great  stud  farm  of  Curumalan.  Curu- 
malan  is  in  the  Department  of  Suarez, 
315  miles  southwest  of  Buenos  Aires, 
and  85  miles  north  of  Bahia  Blanca,  on  a  branch 
line  of  the  Southern  Railroad.  The  surrounding 
country  is  hilly,  bleak,  and  devoted  to  the  produc- 
tion of  wheat. 


224 


225 


ESTANCIA  "LA  NEGRETA." 

THIS  is  a  stud  farm.    The  brood  mares  here 
shown  are  Clydesdales. 


226 


ESTANCIA  "VILLATE  OLAGUER/' 

THIwS  is  one  of  the  largest  stud  farms  in 
Argentina.  Many  famous  race  horses 
have  come  from  here. 


228 


229 


OMBU   TREE   ON  ESTANCIA  "VILLATE 
OLAGUER." 


THIS  is  a  fine  photograph  of  the  great 
tree,  the  ombii,  whose  wood  is  worth- 
less but  which  gives  cool  shade  in  the 
blazing  midday  of  the  Argentine  campo. 
This  tree  is  indigenous  to  Argentina. 


230 


231 


BULL  STABLE  ON  AN  ARGENTINE 
ESTANCIA. 

THIS  is  a  type  of  better  class  bull  stable  on 
estancia  in  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires. 


232 


233 


PRIZE  BULL,  PROVINCE  OF  BUENOS 
AIRES. 


234 


235 


DAIRY  FARAI,  ESTANCIA  "TAMBO  LA 
FLORIDA." 

The  cows  in  this  picture  are  Durhams. 


236 


237 


DAIRY  COWS,  ESTANCIA  CONSTITU- 
CION." 


THESE  milch  cows  are  of  various  breeds, 
the  majority  being  mongrels.  Their 
cream  is  sent  to  La  Martona  creamery, 
while  the  milk  is  used  to  feed  the  calves, 
and  to  supply  the  families  of  the  laborers. 


238 


239 


HEREFORD  CATTLE  AT  ESTANCIA 
FIDELA." 


240 


241 


PRIZE  CATTLE  AT  AN  ARGENTINE 
FAIR. 


OTE  the  size  and  majestic  appearance  of  the 
bulls. 


243 


RANCH  OF  THE  FRIGORIFICO  "LA 
BLANCA." 

A FRIGORIFICO  is  a  cold  storage  and 
meat  packing  plant.  Many  have  their 
own  ranches.  On  some  of  these  large 
ranches,  in  the  central  and  western 
parts  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  are  countless 
thousands  of  cattle.  This  photograph  gives  an 
excellent  likeness  of  an  Argentine  landscape  in  its 
natural  state. 


244 


245 


A  TROPERO. 

HIS  is  the  name  given  to  the  vocation  of 
the  bewhiskered  gentleman  in  this  photo- 
graph.   Tropero  means  cowboy. 


246 


247 


GAUCHOS. 

HESE  are  cowboys.  They  do  the  same 
functions  as  do  their  prototypes  in  North 
America. 


248 


249 


PLOWING  SCENE. 

LOWING  in  Argentina  is  done  mostly  by 
oxen,  although  in  some  of  the  larger 
estates  it  is  done  by  steam. 


250 


251 


THE  RETURN  FROM  THRESHING. 


252 


253 


STRAW  STACKS. 

HESE  are  not  haystacks,  but  wheat 
straws  after  the  grain  has  been  threshed. 
They  are  baled,  and  shipped  away  as 
bedding  for  stock. 


254 


255 


BRINGING  WHEAT  TO  THE  RAILROAD 
ESTANCIA  "SAN  PASCUAL." 


257 


SACKS  OF  WHEAT  AT  AN  ARGENTINE 
RAILROAD  STATION. 


THESE  mountainous  sacks  of  wheat  are 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  a  freight  train 
to  take  them  to  Bahia  Blanca  or  to 
Buenos  Aires  to  be  shipped  to  Europe. 


258 


259 


PULPERIA  ^^EL  OMBTJ." 


THIS  is  a  typical  pulperia  (store)  of 
the  Argentine  campo  (plain).  The 
storekeeper  sells  such  necessities  to 
the  Gauchos  as  wax,  leather  thongs, 
candles,  soap,  smoked  meat,  and  matches,  and  lux- 
uries such  as  vile  cigarettes,  warm  beer,  and  fiery 
liquor.  The  pulperia  is  a  rendezvous  of  the 
Gauchos,  who  in  idle  times  come  thither  to  spm 
their  yarns  and  to  sing  songs  of  the  campo.  To 
the  right  of  the  photograph  is  a  giant  ombii  tree, 
which  gives  the  name  to  this  pulperia.  Its 
branches  and  twigs  are  destitute  of  leaves,  they 
having  been  devoured  by  the  locusts,  which  pest 
frequently  assails  agricultural  Argentina,  doing 
millions  of  pesos*  worth  of  damage. 


260 


26l 


PLAZA  AND  CHURCH  AT  QUILMES. 


OUILMES  is  a  city  of  15,000  inhabitants 
on  the  Southern  Railroad,  eleven  miles 
south  of  Buenos  Aires.  It  is  also  con- 
nected with  that  city  by  trolley  cars. 
Quilmes  owes  its  importance  to  the  fact  that 
here  is  located  the  largest  brewery  in  South 
America,  the  Argentine  Brewery.  This  brewery 
has  a  paid-up  capital  of  $3,852,000.  Its  stockhold- 
ers are  mostly  Englishmen,  and  many  people  of 
this  nationality  are  employed  in  it.  Besides 
this,  Quilmes  has  quite  a  large  British  colony. 
The  beer  manufactured  here  is  so  vile  that  it 
baffles  description,  yet  it  seems  to  have  a  large 
sale. 

There  is  a  beach  near  Quilmes,  where  bathers 
disport  in  the  waters  of  the  River  Plate. 


262 


< 


263 


LA  PLATA. 


LA  PLATA,  the  capital  of  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Aires,  is  built  on  a  plain  about 
thirty  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Buenos 
Aires,  and  five  miles  from  the  River 
Plate,  where  it  has  its  port,  Ensefiada  de  Barragan. 

In  1880,  when  the  city  of  Buenos  Aires  was 
detached  from  the  province,  it  became  necessary 
to  have  a  new  provincial  capital.  Plans  of  the 
present  city  of  La  Plata  were  drawn;  they  were 
approved  of  July  5,  1882,  and  the  city  was  founded 
November  29th  of  the  same  year.  In  1885, 
the  population  of  the  city  was  13,869  inhabitants. 
In  1909,  it  had  grown  to  95,126,  and  in  191 5  when 
the  last  census  was  taken  La  Plata  had  111,401 
inhabitants,  it  being  the  fourth  city  of  Argentina. 
The  population  of  the  commune  was  136,026,  that 
of  Avellaneda  alone  having  a  larger  population. 

La  Plata  is  laid  out  much  after  the  plan  of 
Washington,  with  square  blocks  which  are  divided 
into  segments  by  broad  avenues  running  at  various 
angles.  The  ordinary  streets  have  a  uniform 
width  of  55>^  feet.  La  Plata,  being  so  near  to 
Buenos  Aires,  is  a  dull,  sleepy  town,  a  nice  place 

264 


to  go  for  a  rest.  Some  of  its  government  buildings 
are  remarkable  for  their  size  and  beauty.  The 
museum,  far-famed,  contains  the  finest  anthropo- 
logical and  palaeontological  collection  in  the  South- 
ern Continent.  La  Plata  boasts  of  a  beautiful 
park,  a  university,  and  an  avenue  shaded  with  the 
largest  eucalyptus  trees  in  South  America.  The 
leading  hotel  is  the  Sportsman.  The  houses  are 
low,  which  gives  the  visitor  the  impression  that  the 
thirty  broad  avenues  are  broader  than  they  really 
are. 

The  city  is  connected  with  Buenos  Aires  by 
several  railroads,  and  has  an  excellent  train  service 
with  the  Federal  Capital. 


265 


RAILWAY  STATION. 

THIS  beautiful  building,  the  property  of 
the  Southern  Railroad,  is  situated  near 
the  northern  end  of  the  city.  Its 
architect  was  M.  Paure  Dujarric,  a 
Frenchman,  whose  masterpieces  are  the  grand- 
stands of  the  Jockey  Club  at  Palermo  Park, 
Buenos  Aires.  This  railway  station  is  built  of 
brick,  and  covered  with  white  stucco.  Its  dome 
is  of  green  tile,  with  ribs  of  white.  Its  restaurant 
is  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  city. 


266 


267 


CASA  DE  JUSTICIA. 
This  is  the  Provincial  Court  House. 


268 


269 


LEGISLATURE. 

TN  this  large  building,  the  provincial  congress 
holds  session.    This  photograph  is  a  side  view. 


270 


271 


CAPITOL. 

THIS  building  is  built  of  red  brick,  with  cream- 
colored  stucco  facings.    It  is  very  imposing. 


272 


CITY  HALL. 


THIS  fine  building  with  its  tall  tower, 
which  is  a  landmark  from  the  open 
plains  that  surround  the  city,  is  situ- 
ated on  a  large  plaza  at  the  western 
end  of  the  business  section  of  La  Plata. 


274 


PARK,  LA  PLATA. 

THIS  park,  one  of  the  loveliest  in  Argen- 
tina, is  located  near  the  eastern  city 
limits.  It  is  bordered  on  the  east  by 
the  avenue  of  giant  eucalyptus  trees. 
The  park  contains  an  artificial  lake  on  whose 
waters  disport  aquatic  fowl.  There  are  grottoes 
of  imitation  stone,  flowerbeds  of  crimson  and 
yellow  cannas,  and  a  cafe,  where  refreshing  drinks 
are  sold. 


276 


277 


LA  PLATA  VIEWS. 


NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

BANK  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  BUENOS 

AIRES. 


278 


279 


LA  PLATA  VIEWS. 


OLD  RAILWAY  STATION.  ^ 

THIS  is  now  empty  and  abandoned  although  it 
stands  in  the  center  of  the  city. 


STATUE  OF  SAN  MARTIN. 

TN  the  background  is  the  front  of  the  Legis- 
lature. 


280 


MAR  DEL  PLATA. 


THIS  city  of  28,382  inhabitants  is  the 
Trouville  of  Argentina.  It  is  the 
most  fashionable  seashore  resort  in 
the  Western  Hemisphere.  It  would  be 
incongruous  to  compare  it  either  with  Newport 
or  with  Atlantic  City.  The  first  mentioned  city, 
the  residential  place  of  wealthy  families,  and  the 
last  mentioned  one,  the  great  playground  of  the 
Atlantic  States,  are  in  an  entirely  different  classi- 
fication than  Argentina's  Trouville. 

Mar  del  Plata  is  the  great  show  place  where, 
during  three  summer  months,  Argentina's  highest 
society  come  to  enjoy  themselves,  and  to  parade 
daily  along  the  Rambla,  the  cynosure  of  curious 
eyes.  Here,  dressed  in  the  latest  Paris  creations, 
beautiful  girls  of  marriageable  age  promenade 
arm  in  arm,  underneath  the  porticos  of  the  build- 
ings, conscious  of  the  amorous  glances  cast  at 
them  by  longing  men,  and  also  conscious  of  their 
beauty,  and  of  the  pleasing  effect  their  good  taste 
in  expensive  dress  produces.  These  are  the  girls 
that  in  a  few  years  will  be  matrons  of  Buenos  Aires 
society,  and  they  are  promenading  to-day  so  that 

282 


their  charms  will  not  pass  by  unnoticed,  but 
instead  will  act  as  a  lure  to  the  men  they  have 
their  heart  set  on.  In  fact,  this  Rambla  is  the 
great  human  fair,  represented  by  only  the  highest 
notch  in  society,  ambassadors,  presidents  of  South 
American  republics,  rich  estancieros,  sugar-cane 
planters,  railroad  and  bank  presidents,  idle  rich, 
wealthy  business  men,  their  wives,  bepearled  and 
bediamonded  dowagers,  remarkably  beautiful 
girls,  and  handsome  young  matrons  of  the 
aristocracy. 

Mar  del  Plata  is  also  represented  by  another 
class  of  people.  For  instance  in  Cordoba  or  Men- 
•  doza,  if  a  family  of  no  great  means,  but  if  ambitious 
of  social  or  financial  embetterment,  wishes  to  marry 
off  a  marriageable  daughter  to  their  and  her 
advantage,  Mar  del  Plata  is  the  place  they  bring 
her  to,  even  if  during  the  winter  months  they  are 
obliged  to  stint  themselves  of  the  very  necessities 
of  life,  in  order  to  have  the  cash  to  make  a  showing 
at  this  summer  resort. 

Although  many  of  the  perennial  have  here  their 
summer  chalets  and  villas,  yet  much  of  the  social 
life  of  the  city  centers  around  the  Hotel  Bristol, 
a  sumptuous  affair,  and  to  the  visitor,  the  most 
expensive  one  in  South  America.  In  its  corridors, 
the  social  elite  of  the  republic  congregate  to  prom- 
enade, stand  in  groups  to  gossip,  and  adjourn  to 
the  cafe  to  indulge  in  a  dish  of  ice  cream,  a  refrescOy 
or  a  vermouth  frappe.  If  it  is  not  to  the  cafe,  they 
hie  to  the  casino,  where  they  indulge  in  roulette, 

283 


as  this  is  one  of  the  few  places  in  Argentina  where 
there  is  a  gambhng  hcense. 

Mar  del  Plata  is  the  seat  of  the  Department  of 
General  Pueyrredon.  It  is  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
249  miles  south  of  Buenos  Aires,  a  seven  hours' 
trip  by  express  train  on  the  Southern  Railroad. 
It  has  a  fine  sandy  beach,  and  although  surf  bath- 
ing is  indulged  in,  the  water  is  really  too  cool  for 
enjoyment.  It  must  be  remarked  that  the  great 
majority  of  visitors  do  not  come  to  Mar  del  Plata 
for  delectation  in  this  exercise.  The  name  of  the 
town  translated  into  English  is  ''Silvery  Sea.'* 
The  ocean  at  this  place  abounds  in  fish,  which  are 
daily  shipped  in  large  quantities  to  Buenos  Aires.  • 

A  decade  and  a  half  ago,  where  the  city  now 
stands,  was  a  hamlet  among  the  sand  dunes.  Some 
real  estate  sharks  launched  a  scheme  to  sell  the 
land,  and  by  dint  of  perseverant  advertising, 
enticed  the  people  to  come  here.  A  gambling 
concession  was  given,  and,  as  the  Latin  is  a  natural 
born  gambler,  the  lure  proved  attractive.  There 
was  a  scarcity  of  potable  water,  but  this  difficulty 
was  finally  overcome  by  the  sinking  of  deep  wells. 
The  season  of  the  early  months  of  191 6  has  been 
the  most  prosperous  in  the  history  of  the  city. 
The  European  conflagration  prevented  many  of 
the  wealthy  families  from  visiting  the  European 
spas,  so  instead  they  repaired  for  the  season  to 
Mar  del  Plata. 


284 


FISHING  BOATS  AT  MAR  DEL  PLATA. 

THESE  sail  boats  are  being  dragged  ashore, 
so  that  the  day's  catch  can  be  sorted  to 
be  sent  to  Buenos  Aires. 


286 


287 


THE  STRAND. 


A GOOD  likeness  of  the  Playa,  as  is  called 
the  sandy  beach  of  Mar  del  Plata.  In 
the  right  foreground,  underneath  the 
building  with  the  two  domes,  is  the 
Rambla,  the  great  promenade.    To  the  left  and 
in  the  center  on  the  top  of  the  sand  dune  are  the 
chalets  of  the  rich. 


289 


LA  PERAL. 


THIS  semicircular  cove  is  lined  with  bath- 
houses.   A  board  walk,  elevated  above 
the  beach,  passes  in  front  of  their  second 
story.     The  bather  descends  to  the 
water  by  means  of  steps,  and  comes  out  beneath 
the  board  walk. 


290 


291 


CHURCH,  MAR  DEL  PLATA. 

THIS  handsome  Gothic  church  affords  an  excel- 
lent place  for  pious  meditation. 


292 


293 


BUST  OF  HUMBERT  I. 

HE  Italian  colony  in  Mar  del  Plata  is 
considerable  and  they  have  paid  tri- 
bute to  the  memory  of  their  assassi- 
nated king  by  erecting  this  bust. 


294 


295 


MAR  DEL  PLATA  CLUB. 


296 


297 


HOTEL  BRISTOL  AND  CASINO. 

N  connection  with  this  sumptuous  hotel  is  a 
casino,  where  the  roulette  wheel  offers  at- 
tractions to  the  guests. 


298 


299 


DINING-ROOM,  HOTEL  BRISTOL. 

THE  uncovered  tables  which  can  be  spread 
at  a  minute's  notice,  are  where  sit  the 
clientele  who  wish  only  a  coffee  or  a  drink. 


300 


ANNEX  OF  THE  HOTEL  BRISTOL. 

THE  Hotel  Bristol  not  being  large  enough 
to  house  all  the  guests,  this  annex  has 
been  built  to  take  care  of  them.    It  is 
one  of  the  few  buildings  in  Argentina 
built  on  Old  English  Hnes. 


302 


303 


THE  RAMBLA. 

ERE  and  under  the  porticoes  of  the 
buildings  here  shown,  promenade  the 
great  human  show  that  makes  Mar 
del  Plata  so  popular. 


304 


CORDOBA  STREET. 


THIS  is  the  main  business  street  of  Mar 
del  Plata.    Note   the   modernity  of 
the  edifices.    The  domed  building  in 
the  left  background  is  a  branch  of  the 
Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation. 


306 


BALANCING  STONE,  TANDIL. 


THE  city  of  Tandil,  population  15,000,  lies  in 
a  mountainous  region,  208  miles  south- 
west of  Buenos  Aires.  These  mountains 
are  low,  but  rocky,  the  highest  altitude 
being  only  1476  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The 
country  is  very  rough,  and  teems  with  giant  bowl- 
ders. The  most  famous  of  these  was  the  renowned 
rocking  stone,  v/hich  balanced  itself  on  the  stone 
outcrop  of  the  mountain  every  time  the  wind  blew. 
This  phenomenon  was  world  famous,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Tandil  reaped  a  harvest  from  the 
money  of  the  tourists  who  came  to  inspect  this 
freak  of  Nature. 

February  29,  19 12,  through  some  unknowr 
cause,  it  lost  its  equilibrium  and  rolled  down  the 
mountainside,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Tandil,  who  at  first  attributed  the  catas- 
trophe to  the  malice  of  certain  persons,  and  came 
near  instituting  criminal  action.  Scientists,  how- 
ever, stated  that  it  lost  its  equilibrium  through 
natural  causes,  as  this  would  happen  sooner  or 
later.  Funds  were  collected  to  have  the  stone 
replaced  in  its  old  position,  but  this  scheme  was 
given  up,  as  it  was  found  to  be  impracticable. 


308 


309 


PLAZA  COLON,  AZUL. 


AZUL,  a  city  with  about  20,000  inhabit- 
ants, is  on  the  Southern  Railroad, 
181  miles  southwest  of  Buenos  Aires, 
in  the  heart  of  a  rich  stock-raising 
country.  It  was  founded  in  1832  by  Colonel 
Pedro  Burgos.  The  name  Azul  means  ^'blue''; 
there  previously  was  an  Indian  hamlet  here  named 
Callvu,  which  also  means  blue. 


PLAZA  COLONEL  OLAVARRIA, 
OLAVARRIA. 


OLAVARRIA  is  208  miles  southwest  of 
Buenos  Aires  on  the  main  Hne  of  the 
Southern  Railroad.    It  is  today  a  city 
of  about  28,000  inhabitants  and  is 
named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Olavarria. 


312 


313 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  JOSE,  OLAVARRIA . 

THIS  imposing  House  of  God  with  its 
twin  towers  is  quite  a  landmark,  as  it 
can  be  seen  for  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  surrounding  country.  Its 
originality  of  architecture  makes  it  so  well  known, 
that  the  average  educated  Argentino  picking  up  a 
book  with  its  illustration  in  it,  can  tell  right  off 
what  it  is  without  looking  at  the  words. 


314 


CHICLANA  STREET,  BAHIA  BLANCA. 


THIS  is  one  of  the  main  streets  of  Bahia 
Blanca,  and  is  named  after  Chiclana 
who,  with  Passo  and  Sarratea,  formed 
the  triumvirate  that  ruled  Argentina, 

1811-1814. 

This  city  with  65,000  inhabitants  is  447  miles 
southwest  of  Buenos  Aires  on  the  Southern  Rail- 
road, being  one  of  the  termini  of  the  main  line.  Its 
growth  has  been  phenomenal  during  the  past 
decade;  in  1903  its  estimated  population  was 
11,600.  Bahia  Blanca  is  the  great  wheat  port  of 
Argentina,  being  the  natural  outlet.  It  also  has  a 
military  harbor  at  Puerto  Belgrano,  besides  the 
commercial  one  at  Ingeneiro  White  where  the 
large  grain  elevators  are  located. 

The  city  has  broad  streets,  paved  with  tarred 
creosote  blocks,  and  many  handsome  buildings, 
but  a  strong  wind  is  apt  to  be  blowing  which 
chills  one  to  the  very  marrow,  and  blows  dust  into 
one's  eyes.  The  surrounding  country  is  not 
pleasing  to  the  eyes  on  account  of  the  sand  hills 
and  the  paucity  of  vegetation.  The  water  supply, 
formerly  brackish  and  unhealthy,  has  now  given 
place  to  an  admirable  system  which  conveys  fresh 
water  from  the  Sauce  Grande,  fifty  miles  away. 

Bahia  Blanca  has  a  good  hotel,  the  Sud  Ameri- 
cano, owned  by  the  Southern  Railroad,  and  a 
new  railroad  station.  Among  the  foreigners  here 
settled  are  many  Basques. 

316 


PLAZA  RIVADAVIA. 

THIS  is  the  largest  plaza  in  Bahia  Blanca.  It 
is  really  too  large  and  shadeless  for  beauty. 


318 


319 


ALSINA  STREET. 

T  is  named  after  Valentin  Alsina,  President  of 
the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  1 857-1 859. 
It  is  one  of  the  main  streets  of  Bahia  Blanca, 
and  crosses  the  other  main  street,  Chiclana. 


320 


321 


TIGRE. 


IT  is  South  America's  Henley  and  is  21  miles 
north  of  Buenos  Aires,  where  the  las 
Conchas  River  enters  the  River  Plate  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  Parana  River  delta. 
Tigre  derives  its  name  (Tiger)  from  the  fact  that 
a  huge  wildcat  was  once  caught  here  on  one  of  the 
floating  islands  which  are  common  to  this  delta. 
It  had  probably  been  borne  by  the  current  of  the 
Parana  from  the  Chaco  or  Paraguay. 

Not  only  is  Tigre  the  great  pleasure  boating 
resort,  but  it  is  also  a  favorite  place  for  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Buenos  Aires  to  spend  their  week-ends. 
There  are  many  fine  villas  here,  the  summer  homes 
of  the  wealthy.  The  town  has  good  stores,  and 
its  streets  present  an  animated  scene.  The  Hotel 
Tigre  is  a  fine  modern  establishment. 


322 


323 


OPEN-AIR  DINING-ROOM,  HOTEL  TIGRE. 

OWING  to  the  almost  perfect,  yet  very 
hot,  summer  cHmate,  it  is  advisable 
to  spend  as  much  time  out  of  doors 
as  is  possible.    Many  of  the  provincial 
hotels  have  outdoor  dining-rooms,  which  can  be 
immediately  covered  over  with  canvas  in  case  of 
a  sudden  shower. 


324 


COUNTRY  STORE,  ZARATE. 


THIS  is  a  typical  country  store  of  the 
campo  small  town.  It  is  the  congre- 
gating place  for  the  farmers. 

Zarate  is,  however,  a  long  straggling 
town,  of  about  10,000  inhabitants,  58  miles  north 
of  Buenos  Aires,  the  junction  of  the  main  line  of 
the  Central  Argentina  Railroad  with  the  Central 
of  Buenos  Aires  Railroad.  It  has  a  naval  arsenal, 
and  a  meat-canning  establishment.  It  was  founded 
in  1 80 1,  and  named  after  the  sixteenth-century 
explorer,  Fernando  de  Zarate. 


326 


327 


CITY  HALL,  SAN  PEDRO. 

AN  PEDRO  is  a  city  of  24,000  inhabitants, 
107  miles  north  of  Buenos  Aires  on  the 
main  Hne  of  the  Central  Argentina  Rail- 
road. 


328 


329 


CHURCH  AT  SAN  PEDRO. 


330 


331 


CITY  HALL  AND  COURTHOUSE, 
MERCEDES. 

MERCEDES  is  a  city  of  30,000  inhabi- 
tants,   61    miles   west   of  Buenos 
Aires.    It  is  a  railroad  center,  the 
Western,  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific, 
and  the  General  Railways  of  Buenos  Aires  Pro- 
vince, crossing  each  other  here.    The  city  has 
many  settlers  of  Irish  extraction. 


332 


333 


25TH  STREET,  MERCEDES. 

is  an  unusual  thing  for  an  Argentine  city 
to  have  its  streets  numbered  instead  of 
named.  Mercedes  and  La  Plata  are  ex- 
ceptions to  this  rule. 


334 


335 


CHURCH  AT  MERCEDES. 


336 


337 


CENTRAL  ARGENTINA  RAILWAY  STA- 
TION, PERGAMINO. 


PERGAMINO  is  143  miles  northwest  of 
Buenos  Aires,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Province  of  Buenos  Aires.  It  is  the  junc- 
tion of  three  railroads :  the  Central  Argen- 
tina, the  Western,  and  the  General  Railways  of 
Buenos  Aires  Province.  Its  population  is  43,000  in- 
habitants, among  whom  are  many  Italians.  It  is  a 
good  market  town,  although  the  soil  is  rather  thin 
and  sandy  where  the  city  stands.  The  pine  trees 
in  the  Plaza  de  Mayo  have  attained  a  great  height. 

Pergamino  has  a  good  hotel,  the  Roma,  where, 
strange  to  relate,  one  can  get  a  room  with  bath. 


338 


339 


VIEWS   OF  PERGAMINO. 


SAN  NICOLAS  STREET,  SHOWING  HOTEL 
ROMA  ON  THE  RIGHT 


SAN  NICOLAS  STREET,  LOOKING  SOUTH 


340 


VIEWS  OF  PERGAMINO. 


SIDE  STREET  IN  PERGAMINO. 


PLAZA— 25  DE  MAYO. 


342 


343 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  SANTA  FE. 


THIS  long  and  narrow  province,  which 
extends  from  the  meridian  28^  south 
to  meridian  34"^  south  has  an  area 
of  50,916  square  miles,  which  is  nearly 
equivalent  to  that  of  Alabama.  Its  population 
numbered  according  to  the  Census  of  1914, 
1,111,426  inhabitants,  making  it  rank  the  second 
of  all  the  provinces. 

Topographically  it  belongs  to  the  pampa,  its 
southern  and  central  regions  being  a  vast,  monoto- 
nous, treeless  plain.  To  the  north  a  scrub  growth 
appears  on  the  prairie,  which  as  the  Territory  of 
the  Chaco  is  approached  becomes  a  jungle  wilder- 
ness of  forest  intermingled  with  grassy  prairies 
and  swamps.  The  eastern  boundary  is  the  Parana 
River  with  its  innumerable  channels,  forming  a 
network  of  marshy  islands.  The  banks  of  these 
channels  are  covered  with  a  fringe  of  trees.  Santa 
Fe  is  fairly  well  watered  by  the  numerous  tribu- 
taries of  the  Parana,  chief  among  which  are  the 
Salado,  and  the  San  Javier  Rivers,  but  so  level  is 
the  land,  that  these  waterways  fail  to  drain  it 
properly.    There  is  a  stratum  of  salt  not  many 

344 


feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil,  which  makes 
many  of  the  driven  wells  brackish.  The  rainfall 
is  ample,  especially  in  the  north,  so  that  irrigation 
is  unnecessary.  The  climate  is  warm,  and  in 
summer  hot. 

Santa  Fe  is  the  great  corn  province  as  Buenos 
Aires  is  the  great  wheat  province,  but  stock-raising 
is  also  an  important  industry.  There  are  a  few 
small  hardwood  lumber  mills  in  the  north,  and  in 
time  dyewoods  are  bound  to  become  an  important 
industry  as  well  as  tannic  acid,  which  can  be 
extracted  from  the  bark  of  the  quebracho  tree. 
Nine  different  railroad  systems  have  lines  in  the 
province,  the  most  important  of  which  is  Central 
Argentina. 

The  chief  city  is  Rosario,  the  second  in  Argen- 
tina. Santa  Fe  is  the  capital.  Other  important 
places  are  Casilda,  Cafiada  de  Gomez,  Galvez,  Es- 
peranza.  Vera,  Rafaela,  and  Reconquista. 


345 


THE  SANTA  FE  CAMPO. 


THIS  flat,  treeless  landscape  is  typical  of 
the  western  part  of  the  Province  of 
Santa  Fe.  Vast  prairies  extend  for 
miles  and  miles  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see. 
No  expense  is  needed  for  the  clearing  of  land.  It 
is  already  for  the  plow.  The  two  shacks  are  those 
of  a  new  settler.  He  will  plant  poplar  or  eucalyp- 
tus trees  around  the  spot  where  they  now  stand, 
and  when  he  has  made  money  through  stock- 
raising  or  through  cereals,  will  build  a  substantial 
home. 


346 


PLOWING  VIRGIN  SOIL. 

2 1 -DISC  Garr-Scott  plow  is  used  on  this 
black  soil. 


348 


349 


TYPICAL  RANCH. 


THIS  humble  abode  is  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe.  Its 
owners  belong  to  the  lower  stratum 
of  society.  The  swarthy  complexion 
of  the  people  here  shown  denote  a  strain  of  Indian 
blood.  The  men  of  this  class  are  good  workers, 
but  have  a  weakness  for  alcoholic  beverages. 
They  drink  a  substance  which  is  sold  for  wine,  but 
which  in  reality  is  diluted  and  sweetened  alcohol, 
colored  red  by  quebracho  bark.  Poultry,  hogs,  and 
domestic  animals  roam  around  at  random,  enter- 
ing the  house.  There  are  no  stoves,  and  the  cook- 
ing is  done  in  a  kettle  in  the  open. 


350 


351 


SACKS  OF  CORN  AT  A  RAILWAY 
STATION. 


THE  Province  of  Santa  Fe  is  preeminently 
the  corn-producing  country  of  Argen- 
tina. Much  of  the  land  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Rosario  and  of  Santa  Fe  is 
owned  by  wealthy  proprietors,  who  lease  it  to 
Italians  in  ten-acre  lots  and  upwards.  The  lessees 
often  have  a  prosperous  year,  but  occasionally 
they  as  well  as  the  lessors  are  great  losers  on 
account  of  the  locust  plague  which  periodically 
visits  this  province. 


352 


IL 


353 


DIPPING  SHEEP  AT  ESTANCIA  ''SANTA 
ISABEL." 

THE  sheep  ranch  of  Santa  Isabel  is  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Province  of  Santa 
Fe  on  a  branch  line  of  the  Buenos 
Aires  Pacific  Railroad,  231  miles  north- 
west of  Buenos  Aires. 


354 


355 


SANTA  FE. 


THE  city  of  Santa  Fe,  capital  of  the  prov- 
ince of  the  same  name,  has  a  popu- 
lation of  63,000  inhabitants,  and  is 
the  seventh  city  of  Argentina.  It  is 
300  miles  northwest  of  Buenos  Aires  and  1 1 1  miles 
north  of  Rosario.  It  is  built  on  a  fertile  plain  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Santa  Fe  channel  of  the 
Parana  River,  navigable  only  for  small  vessels. 
The  larger  ones  which  come  from  all  ports  of  the 
world  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  the  channel,  eight 
miles  away  at  a  place  named  Puerto  Colastine, 
which  is  connected  by  rail  with  the  capital.  The 
writer  once  saw  a  four-master  from  Eastport, 
Maine,  anchored  off  Puerto  Colastine. 

Santa  Fe  is  an  old  city,  having  been  founded 
November  15,  1573,  by  Juan  de  Garay.  Some  of 
the  older  buildings,  such  as  the  churches  still  exist, 
and  are  worth  a  tour  of  inspection.  In  1853  the 
first  constitution  of  the  Argentine  Confederation 
was  drawn  up  here,  the  then  thirteen  provinces 
being  represented.  Santa  Fe  has  borne  the  reputa- 
tion as  a  center  of  political  intrigue,  which  is  even 
true  at  the  present  time.  The  growth  of  the  city  has 

356 


been  slow.  Rosario,  much  larger,  and  ambitious, 
has  attempted  several  times  in  vain  to  wrest  from 
it  the  honor  of  being  the  provincial  capital.  Santa 
Fe  has  three  railroads  entering  it,  and  is  connected 
with  Parana  by  a  steamship  line,  whose  boats  ply- 
between  the  two  not  very  far  distant  cities  twice 
daily. 

Santa  Fe  bears  the  reputation  of  a  sleepy,  dull, 
and  rather  stagnant  place.  This  is  unjust,  for 
it  is  doubtful  if  even  the  streets  of  Bahia  Blanca 
present  a  more  animated  appearance  than  Santa 
Fe's  Calle  Comercio.  There  is  a  fair  hotel  in  the 
city,  the  Hotel  Espana.  Santa  Fe  has  a  university, 
well-paved  streets,  good  buildings,  and  a  new 
boulevard  along  1  the  river  from  whence  can  be 
seen,  in  the  distance,  the  towers  and  spires  of 
Parana.  A  brewery  is  about  the  most  important 
factory  that  the  city  can  boast  of. 

The  finest  cornfields  in  Argentina  are  in  the 
environs  of  the  city. 


357 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  SANTA  FE. 


358 


359 


HARBOR  AT  SANTA  FE. 


THIS  is  a  harbor  which  has  been  made 
by  dredging  a  portion  of  the  Santa  Fe 
channel  of  the  Parana  River.    It  is 
navigable  only  by  small  craft.  The 
boat  in  the  center  of  the  picture  is  the  one  that 
plies  between  Santa  Fe  and  Parana. 


360 


PLAZA  DE  MAYO. 

HIS  is  Santa  Fe's  most  important  park. 
The  building  with  the  tower  at  the  left 
is  the  capitol. 


362 


363 


NORMAL  SCHOOL. 


364 


COMMERCE  STREET. 


CALLE  COMERCIO  is  the  main  street  of 
Santa  Fe.     On  it  are  the  best  retail 
stores  and  the  hotels.      The  edifice 
facing  us  at  the  right  is  the  Santa  Fe 
branch  of  the  Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation. 


366 


367 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

THIS  is  an  old  relic,  but  its  fagade  has  been 
remodeled  so  that  it  now  presents  a 
modern  appearance. 


368 


369 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  ANTONIO. 

HIS  is  the  oldest  church  in  the  city.  It 
is  interesting  to  the  lover  of  antiques, 
and  of  history. 


370 


371 


LA  MERCED  CHURCH. 


THIS  is  a  nearly  perfect  production  of 
what  we  call  Mission  architecture. 
The  person  who  makes  a  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia and  returns  to  go  into  ecstasies 
over  the  missions  of  Santa  Barbara,  San  Gabriel, 
and  others,  should  by  all  means  visit  Argentina  or 
Peru.  Those  of  Argentina  are  so  far  superior 
to  those  of  California,  and  have  a  so  much  greater 
background  of  history,  combined  with  folklore, 
that  the  person  who  once  sees  and  visits  them,  at 
once  classes  those  of  California  as  mediocre  and 
not  worth  looking  at. 


372 


373 


ROSARIO. 


ROSARIO,  the  metropolis  of  the  Province 
of  Santa  Fe,  the  second  city  of  Argen- 
tina, and  the  sixth  of  South  America, 
had  in  1914  a  population  of  316,914 
inhabitants.  It  is  a  Parana  River  port,  accessible 
to  ocean-going  vessels,  and  is  189  miles  northwest 
of  Buenos  Aires,  express  trains  covering  the  dis- 
tance in  4^  hours.  It  was  founded  by  Francisco 
Godoy  in  1725,  but  it  dates  its  growth  from  1854. 
It  is  commonly  known  as  Rosario  de  Santa  Fe,  to 
distinguish  it  from  Rosario  de  la  Frontera,  and 
numerous  other  Rosarios,  which  name  seems  to  be 
a  favorite  in  Spanish-speaking  countries. 

It  is  built  on  a  level  plain,  has  straight  streets 
paved  with  creosote  blocks  and  cobblestones.  The 
streets  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles,  form- 
ing squares.  There  are  fourteen  plazas,  but  they 
are  not  centrally  enough  located  to  form  breathing 
spaces  for  the  wearied  shopper  or  pedestrian.  Its 
downtown  district  very  much  resembles  that  of 
Buenos  Aires,  with  its  narrow  congested  streets. 
There  are  a  few  fine  residences  in  Rosario,  but  on 
the  whole  there  is  not  much  to  interest  the  tourist, 

374 


as  it  is  essentially  a  business  center.  About 
Rosario  there  is  a  genuine  North  American  or 
North  European  activity,  that  is  surpassed  no- 
where else  in  vSouth  America,  excepting  in  Sao 
Paulo.  There  is  a  large  Italian  element,  which 
forms  about  one  third  of  the  population,  and  whose 
influence  is  seen  on  the  architecture  of  the  build- 
ings. Rosario,  not  only  is  a  great  corn  and  stock 
exporting  port,  but  is  also  a  railroad  center,  has 
a  large  sugar  refinery,  two  breweries,  car  shops, 
and  numerous  minor  industries.  It  is  the  center 
of  Argentine  sculpture.  There  is  plenty  of  money 
on  circulation;  there  are  great  importing  houses 
and  numerous  large  banks.  The  hotels,  restau- 
rants, cafes,  theaters,  and  music  halls  are  on  a  par 
with  those  of  any  city  of  its  size.  The  Hotel 
Savoy  and  the  Hotel  Italia  are  modern  in  every 
respect. 

Adjoining  Rosario  on  the  north  is  a  large 
village  named  Alberdi,  where  better-to-do  people 
have  their  villas  set  back  from  the  road  in  gardens, 
and  thus  enjoy  a  rural  life  on  the  outskirts  of  a 
big  city. 


375 


EXPORTATION  SECTION  OF  PORT  WORKS, 
ROSARIO. 


376 


377 


ROSARIO  IN  1888. 


THIS  picture  was  taken  by  Mr.  Brooks,  a 
pioneer  photographer  of  Rosario,  who 
came  there  in  the  '8o's.  This  gives  one 
a  good  idea  how  the  town  looked  in  1888, 
as  seen  from  the  cathedral  tower  looking  westward 
up  Calle  Buenos  Aires.  This  same  street  presents 
today  a  totally  different  aspect,  and  would  be 
unrecognizable  from  the  photograph,  although,  as 
can  be  seen,  Rosario  was  at  that  time  no  slouch  of 
a  town.  The  architecture  of  the  houses  at  that 
period  was  colonial  Spanish,  with  flat  roofs.  To- 
day the  architecture  is  a  composite  Italian,  with 
many  domes. 

The  writer  has  met  quite  a  few  people  who 
do  not  think  the  appearance  of  the  Rosarino  streets 
has  changed  in  the  last  two  decades.  He  was  in 
Rosario  in  191 3,  and  again  in  1916,  and  even 
though  there  was  a  financial  depression  in  Argen- 
tina during  that  period,  he  noticed  a  great  change 
and  improvement  for  the  better  in  the  number  of 
new  buildings  that  had  been  built  in  that  interval. 
He  met  a  friend  on  the  street  one  day  and  said : 

'*What  I  especially  notice  about  Rosario  is 
the  great  number  of  new  buildings  that  have 
been  put  up  during  the  last  three  years." 

The  Rosarino  promptly  answered:  *'I  came 
here  twenty  years  ago,  and  it  seems  to  me  as  if  the 
streets  look  the  same  now.  as  they  did  then." 

378 


379 


STATION  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  SANTA 
FE  RAILROAD. 


THIS   is   called    the    Estacion  Frances 
(French  Station)  because  the  Province 
of  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  is  owned 
by  French  capital.     The  Rosario  to 
Puerto  Belgrano  Railroad  Company  as  well  as  the 
Port  Works  are  also  French-owned  corporations. 

The  round  holes  seen  on  the  fagade  of  the 
gables  of  this  depot  are  bullet  marks  from  the 
revolution  of  1893. 

Notice  the  advertisements  on  the  electric  car  in 
the  picture.  Instead  of  putting  the  street  names 
on  a  board  at  the  top,  the  names  of  the  articles 
advertised  are  put  there,  while  the  street  nomen- 
clature appears  in  front. 


TRACKS  OF  THE  CENTRAL  ARGENTINA 
RAILROAD,  ROSARIO. 

THE  Central  Argentina  Railroad  has  a 
great  network  of  lines  in  the  Province 
of  Santa  Fe,  most  of  them  radiating 
from  Rosario.    It  has  two  stations  in 
Rosario,  and  the  building  with  the  tower  to  the 
right  of  this  photograph  surmounts  the  principal 
one. 


382 


383 


COURTHOUSE. 


THIS  whopper  of  a  building  is  one  of  the 
largest  public  buildings  of  its  kind  in 
the  world.    It  is  an  immense  pile,  and 
covers  an  entire  city  block.    There  are 
four  Courts  of  Appeals  in  Argentina;  one  of  them 
meets  here. 

It  is  situated  on  the  Plaza  San  Martin. 


384 


385 


POLITICAL  BUILDING. 

THE  above  words  signify  the  use  to  which 
this  Jefatura  Politica  is  put.  In  it 
are  held  the  poHtical  meetings,  and 
assemblies.  The  police  department, 
secret  service,  and  fire  department  also  have  their 
offices  here.  This  is  a  very  fine  building,  snow- 
white,  and  is  much  better  looking  than  this  repro- 
duction represents. 


386 


387 


PLAZA  DE  MAYO. 


THIS  mediocre  park,  bordered  by  pussy- 
willow trees,  is  the  main  plaza  of  the 
city.  It  was  once  a  civic  center,  and 
hub  of  the  business  section,  but  in 
recent  years,  the  latter  has  moved  three  streets  to 
the  northward,  leaving  the  Plaza  de  Mayo  out  of 
the  present  scope  of  commercial  activity.  The 
building  to  the  left  of  the  center  of  this  photo- 
graph is  the  city  hall,  while  the  one  with  towers  is 
the  cathedral.  This  photograph  was  taken  in  the 
winter  (June)  as  can  be  observed  by  the  leafless 
trees,  and  by  the  paucity  of  loafers  seated  on  the 
public  benches. 


388 


390 


391 


LA  MATRIZ,  OR  CATHEDRAL. 


392 


393 


GOVERNOR  FREYRE  SCHOOL. 


394 


395 


STOCK  EXCHANGE. 


IT  is  called  La  Bolsa.    It  is  a  building  with 
an  artistic  fagade  on  San  Lorenzo  Street, 
not  far  from  San  Martin  Street.  This 
photograph  was  taken  from  a  balcony  on 
the  second  story  of  the  Savoy  Hotel. 


396 


LONDON  AND  BRAZILIAN  BANK. 

ROSARIO  teems  with  banks.    Nearly  all 
the  standard  banks  of  the  east  coast 
of  South  America  have  branches  here. 
The  bank  shown  in  the  photograph  is 
at  the  corner  of  San  Martin  and  Santa  Fe  Streets. 
San  Martin  is  par  excellence  the  banking  street  of 
Rosario. 


398 


BANK  OF  ITALY  AND  RIVER  PLATE. 

THIS  is  situated  at  the  corner  of  San  Martin 
and  Rioja  Streets. 


400 


SPANISH  BANK  OF  THE  RIVER  PLATE. 

THIS  is  at  the  corner  of  San  Martin  and 
Santa  Fe  Streets,  opposite  the  London 
and  Brazihan  Bank. 


402 


403 


BRITISH  BANK  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

THIS  is  at  the  corner  of  San  Martin  and 
Cordoba  Streets. 


404 


BANK  OF  LONDON  AND  RIVER  PLATE. 

THIS  building  stands  in  the  middle  of  a  block 
on  San  Martin  Street. 


406 


FRENCH  BANK  OF  THE  RIVER  PLATE. 

AN  exception  to  the  rule,  this  bank  is 
not  situated  on  San  Martin  Street.  It 
is  at  the  corner  of  San  Lorenzo  and 
Sarmiento  Streets,  not  far  from  the 
stock  exchange. 


408 


409 


CASTAGNINO  BUILDING. 

THIS  photograph  is  shown  in  order  that 
the  reader  may  see  a  good  example 
of  the  modern  Rosarino  office  building. 
This  building  is  at  the  corner  of  Cor- 
doba and  General  Mitre  Streets. 


410 


411 


SANTA  FE  STREET. 


THIS  is  one  of  the  principal  retail  streets  of 
Rosario.    The  photograph  is  a  likeness 
of   this   thoroughfare   looking  north 
from  San  Martin  Street.    The  build- 
ing at  the  left  is  the  London  and  Brazilian  Bank, 
while  that  at  the  right  is  that  of  the  Spanish 
Bank  of  the  River  Plate. 


SAN  MARTIN  STREET. 

THIS    photograph    is    looking    west  on 
San  Martin  Street.    At  the  left  is 
the   Provincial   Bank  of   Santa  Fe; 
at    the    right   is    the   London  and 
Brazilian  Bank. 


414 


415 


VIEWS  OF  ROSARIO 
CORDOBA  STREET 


416 


CORDOBA  STREET. 

CORDOBA  STREET  not  only  is  the  lead- 
ing street  of  the  shopping  district,  but 
it  is  also  a  residential  street  towards 
its  northern  end.    This  view  is  taken  of 
it  looking  south,  about  midway  between  the 
residential  section  and  the  shopping  district. 

On  the  low  building  at  the  left  notice  the  sign 
''43."  That  is  the  best  advertised  brand  of 
cigarettes  in  Argentina,  and  its  sign  is  to  be  found 
in  every  town  of  the  republic  in  monotonous 
conspicuousness. 


418 


419 


BOULEVARD  ORONO. 

HIS  beautiful  parkway,  planted  with  pal- 
mettos and  date  palms,  is  the  residen- 
tial street  of  the  wealthy.  It  extends 
the  length  of  the  city  from  east  to 


420 


RESIDENCE  OF  DR.  C.  BARLETT. 

THIS  is  a  type  of  a  modern  Rosario 

house  in   the  residential   section  of 

the  city.  It  is  on  the  Boulevard 
Orono. 


422 


PINASCO  MANSION. 


THIS  is  a  specimen  of  one  of  the  finer 
houses  of  the  city.    Some  of  them 
are  real  lordly  affairs;  this  is  one  of 
them.    It  is  situated  at  the  corner  of 
the  Boulevard  Orono  and  Cordoba  Street. 


424 


425 


FERNANDEZ  DIAZ  RESIDENCE. 

is  situated  on  Cordoba  Street,  opposite  to 
the  Plaza  Pringles. 


426 


427 


RESIDENCE  OF  DR.  NICANOR  ELIA. 

THIS,  though  not  one  of  the  most  costly, 
is  one  of  the  most  aristocratic-looking 
residences  in  the  whole  Argentine 
Republic. 


428 


429 


PALATIAL   RESIDENCE   IN  ROSARIO. 


430 


RESIDENCE  OF  DIEGO  ALVEAR. 

HIS  is  in  the  suburbs  of  Rosario  in  a 
garden  named  the  Quinta  Alvear. 


432 


COLUMN  OF  VICTORY,  PLAZA  DE  MAYO. 


434 


MAUSOLEUM  OF  MARCELINO  SEMINO. 


IN  the  background  of  this  photograph,  notice 
the  niches  in  the  walls  of  the  cemetery, 
where  coffins  are  placed,  and  sealed  over 
with  a  marble  slab.    This  is  reminiscent 
of  the  Old  French  Cemetery  in  New  Orleans. 


436 


437 


INDEPENDENCE  PARK. 

THIS  park  is  on  the  Boulevard  Orono,  at 
quite  a  distance  from  the  center  of 
the  city.    In  the  daytime  it  is  a  quiet 
place,  but  is  a  favorite  drive  in  the 
evening.    About  ii  p.m.  is  when  there  is  most 
life  there,  for  at  that  hour  a  band  plays  in  front  of 
the  cafe,  which  then  is  filled  with  people. 


438 


439 


SWIMMING  POOL  AT  SALADILLO. 


SALADILLO  is  a  pleasure  resort  several 
miles  south  of  the  city,  a  poor  imitation 
of  Coney  Island.  It  is  frequented  mostly 
by  the  poorer  classes  of  people  who  hie 
thither  in  throngs  Sunday  afternoons  to  swim, 
take  rides  on  the  roller  coaster,  toboggan,  drink 
beer,  and  to  eat  ice-cream  cones.  It  is  a  good 
place  to  swim,  but  not  preferred  by  the  better 
classes  on  account  of  the  riffraff  that  is  always 
present  to  indulge  in  that  class  of  sport.  White 
men,  negroes,  and  the  scum  of  Sicily  all  mingle 
together  in  the  swimming  pool. 


440 


441 


MONTES  RESIDENCE  AT  ALBERDI. 


ALBERDI   is  a  place   of  about  10,000 
inhabitants  adjoining  Rosario  on  the 
north.    Many  fine  residences  of  wealthy 
Rosarinos  are  located  there,  their  pro- 
prietors going  to  their  business  daily  on  the  trolley 
cars  or  in  their  automobiles. 


442 


443 


TERRITORY  OF  THE  CHACO. 


THIS  political  division  with  an  area  of 
52,74.1  square  miles  had  in  19 14  a 
population  of  58,512  inhabitants,  in- 
cluding Indian  tribes.  Its  population 
in  1895  was  estimated  at  10,422.  The  territory 
lies  directly  north  of  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe 
and  comprises  the  southern  part  of  which  is  known 
as  the  Gran  Chaco.  The  latter,  the  greater  part  of 
which  is  within  the  limits  of  Paraguay,  is  a  well- 
watered  wilderness  of  forest,  bushes,  and  palmetto 
thickets,  interspersed  with  grassy  prairies  and 
dismal  swamps.  Its  inhabitants  are  wild  Indians, 
some  of  which  are  believed  to  be  cannibals,  but 
this  supposition  remains  to  be  proved.  Most 
attempts  to  cross  the  Paraguayan  Chaco  have  met 
with  failure.  Ayolas  crossed  it  in  1536,  and  Irala 
in  1548.  Since  then  it  has  never  been  crossed; 
several  attempts  have  been  made  to  do  so,  but 
the  parties  were  massacred.  As  the  Gran  Chaco 
is  practically  an  unknown  country,  there  is  but 
scant  literature  on  it.  A  missionary,  Mr.  W. 
Barbrooke  Grubb,  spent  several  years  among  the 
Indians  of  the  Chaco  and  wrote  two  books  about 

444 


it,  A  Church  in  the  Wilder7tess  and  A^i  Unknown 
People  in  a7t  Unknow7t  Land. 

Although  much  of  the  Argentine  Chaco  is  still 
unexplored,  yet  the  southern  part  of  it  is  well 
known,  where  there  are  a  few  small  lumber  mills, 
and  where  the  quebracho  bark  is  used  for  tannic 
acid.  Across  this  part  of  the  Chaco  runs  the 
Province  of  Santa  Fe  Railroad  and  a  branch  of  the 
Central  Northern  Railroad. 

The  only  town  of  any  importance  in  the  terri- 
tory is  Resistencia,  the  capital,  a  town  of  ii,ooo 
inhabitants,  but  a  short  ways  inland  from  its 
port  Barranqueras,  which  is  across  the  Parana 
River  from  Corrientes. 


445 


PALMARES,  TERRITORY  OF  CHACO. 


PALMARES  is  a  name  given  to  the  pal- 
metto wildernesses  that  are  to  be  found 
everywhere  in  the  Chaco.    These  pal- 
mares form  veritable  islands  of  pal- 
mettos among  the  savannas  and  grassy  plains 
of  this  little  explored  country. 


446 


447 


INDIAN  TOLDA. 


THE  Indians  of  the  Argentine  Chaco 
belong  to  the  Toba  tribe  and  Hve  in 
grass  huts  called  toldas.  These  toldas 
are  not  high  enough  to  permit  the 
inmate  to  rise  higher  than  a  sitting  position. 
They  serve  more  as  a  shelter  and  sleeping  place 
than  as  a  house,  for  the  life  of  the  Tobas  is  spent 
out  of  doors.  The  tufted  grass  which  forms 
the  sides  of  the  tolda  shown  in  the  picture  is  what 
in  the  United  States  and  especially  in  California  is 
erroneously  known  as  Pampa  Grass,  This  grass, 
with  its  white  fuzzy  tufts,  is  a  native  of  the  north- 
ern provinces  and  territories  of  Argentina  where 
there  are  no  pampas.  Gourds  and  earthenware 
vessels  of  native  pottery  form  the  household 
utensils  of  the  Tobas. 


448 


449 


TOBA  WOMEN. 

THE  women  of  the  Toba  tribe  have  more 
pretensions  to  beauty  than  the  greasy 
squaw  of  North  America.    Like  the 
latter,  however,  cleanliness  is  with  them 
an  unknown  quality.    Note  the  blushing  maiden  in 
this  photograph  holding  the  skin  of  a  puma.  The 
large  tree  in  the  background  is  a  guayavi. 

The  Toba  men  often  make  raids  on  the  estancias 
of  the  white  settlers,  carrying  away  stock,  but 
they  are  not  as  frequent  as  formerly.  The  Tobas 
are  quick  to  become  civilized,  and  many  are  found 
in  the  towns  following  the  occupations  of  porters, 
and  plantation  workers.  They  are  noted  for 
their  endurance,  and  also  for  their  laziness. 


450 


451 


TERRITORY  OF  MISIONES. 


THIS  geographical  and  political  division 
is  the  northeastern  outpost  of  Argentine 
civilization.  It  is  bordered  on  the  north 
by  Paraguay  and  Brazil;  on  the  east 
by  Brazil,  on  the  south  by  Brazil,  and  on  the 
west  by  Pa.raguay  and  the  Province  of  Corrientes. 
It  has  more  in  common  with  Argentina  than  with 
Brazil  on  account  of  it  being  between  the  Parana 
and  the  Uruguay  Rivers,  the  same  as  the  provinces 
of  Corrientes  and  Entre  Rios.  Misiones  has  a 
population  of  49,668  inhabitants  scattered  over  an 
area  of  11,282  square  miles  (approximately  that  of 
Maryland  and  Delaware  combined).  The  only 
place  of  any  importance  in  the  territory  is  Posadas, 
the  capital,  a  dull  place  of  9000  inhabitants  perched 
on  the  top  of  a  red  clay  hill  on  the  Alto  Parana 
River,  which  here  is  about  two  miles  wide.  A 
ferry  boat  crosses  the  river  at  Posadas  to  the 
Paraguayan  city  of  Villa  Encarnacion,  carrying 
on  it  the  through  train  from  Buenos  Aires  to  Asun- 
cion. The  only  railroad  in  Misiones  is  the  North- 
eastern Argentine  Railway.    Posadas  is  connected 

452 


by  two  lines  of  steamers  plying  on  the  Alto  Parana 
River  with  Corrientes. 

The  climate  of  Misiones  is  sub-tropical,  as  well 
as  the  vegetation.  It  is  a  well-watered  rolling  land 
of  forests  intermingled  with  grassy  savannas,  well 
adapted  for  stock  raising.  The  chief  industry 
seems  to  be  yerba  mate  or  Paraguayan  tea.  The 
leaves  when  dried  and  steeped  form  the  staple 
beverage  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  region.  The 
mate  plantations  are  called  yerbales.  The  soil  of 
Misiones  is  a  red  clay.  Oranges  and  lemons  thrive 
to  perfection.  Among  the  wild  plants,  the  most 
conspicuous  are  the  yellow  canna  and  the  caladium 
or  elephant's  ear. 

The  name  Misiones  (Missions)  owes  its  origin 
to  the  fact  that  this  country  was  first  settled  by 
the  Jesuit  fathers,  who  established  here  great 
stone  churches,  of  which  to-day  nothing  is  standing 
excepting  the  vine-clad  ruins.  The  principal  one 
of  these  ruins  is  San  Ignacio,  a  resort  for  tourists 
during  the  winter  months  (June  to  September). 
In  Misiones  there  are  many  Indians,  mestizos, 
and  Brazilians.  In  recent  years  there  has  been 
quite  an  immigration  from  Paraguay,  owing  to 
insecurity  of  life  and  of  property  in  that  revolution 
bedridden  republic. 


453 


FALLS  OF  THE  IGUAZU. 


THESE  are  the  chief  attraction  to  the 
tourist  in  the  Territory  of  Misiones. 
They  are  near  the  mouth  of  the  Iguazii 
River  which  flows  into  the  Alto  Parana 
about  two  hundred  miles  above  Posadas.  The  falls 
are  both  Brazilian  and  Argentine  as  the  Iguazii 
River  marks  the  boundary  between  these  two 
countries.  A  boat  line  runs  from  Posadas  to  a 
landing  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  falls,  at  which 
place  the  tourist  goes  by  carriage  to  Puerto  Aguirre, 
where  there  is  a  hotel  of  limited  accommodations 
for  those  who  desire  to  see  the  falls. 

These  falls  are  greater  than  Niagara,  and  in 
this  world  are  surpassed  only  by  the  Victoria  Falls 
in  Africa.  The  drop  of  the  Iguazii  Falls  is  211 
feet,  against  Niagara's  159,  and  their  breadth  is 
miles  against  Niagara's  mile.  The  writer  has 
seen  both,  and  although  he  considers  the  Niagara 
Falls  more  majestic,  those  of  Iguazii  have  them 
faded  into  the  background  as  to  scenery.  The 
Iguazii  Falls  are  a  series  of  falls  spread  over  a  wide 
area  and  are  not  confined  to  two  great  chutes 
of  water  like  in  Niagara.  Part  vv^ay  down  on  the 
drop  of  the  Iguazii  Falls  rocky  ledges  are  met 
which  stop  the  impetus,  and  divide  the  stream  in 
two.  At  the  bottom  of  the  falls  and  up  the  sides 
of  the  chasm  grow  mighty  tropical  trees.  A 
peculiar  feature  of  the  Iguazii  Falls  is  that  while  in 
some  places  the  falls  have  one  sheer  drop  to  the 
bottom,  in  other  places  ledges  occur  which  make 
the  falls  a  succession  of  leaps. 

These  photographs  represent  only  a  partial  view. 

454 


455 


ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  THE  IGUAZU  FALLS. 


456 


457 


PROVINCE  OF  ENTRE  RIOS. 


THIS  province  derives  its  name  (Between 
the  Rivers)  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a 
peninsula,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
Parana  River,  and  on  the  east  by  the 
muddy  waters  of  the  Uruguay.  It  is  often  spoken 
of  as  the  Argentine  Mesopotamia,  which  nomen- 
clature is  very  accurate.  The  soil  of  Entre  Rios 
is  as  rich  as  any  in  Argentina;  the  country  is  well 
watered,  and  no  part  of  the  province  is  incapable  of 
cultivation  unless  it  is  the  swampy  land  at  its 
southern  point  where  the  two  rivers  join  to  form 
the  River  Plate.  About  5000  square  miles  of  the 
northern  part  of  Entre  Rios  is  a  vast  forest,  that  of 
Montiel.  Unfortunately  there  is  not  much  lumber 
industry,  the  products  of  this  forest  being  used 
for  fuel  instead.  Entre  Rios  is  commercially  a 
stock-raising  country,  and  in  its  ports  are  many 
saladerias  or  beef -packing  establishments.  Among 
the  most  important  ones  are  those  located  at  Colon 
and  at  vSanta  Elena.  Fruit  growing  is  an  extensive 
industry. 

The  area  of  the  province  is  28,784  square  miles, 
nearly  the  equivalent  of  that  of  South  Carolina. 

458 


Its  population,  which  in  1796  was  estimated  at 
11,600  had  augmented  to  419,476  in  1914,  making 
it  rank  fourth  among  the  Argentine  provinces. 

The  capital  is  Parana;  other  cities  of  im- 
portance are  Concordia,  Gualeguaychu,  Gualeguay, 
Concepcion  del  Uruguay,  La  Paz,  Basavilbaso, 
and  Nogoya. 


459 


ENTRERRIANO  LANDSCAPE. 


460 


PARANA  RIVER  LANDSCAPE,  PROVINCE 
OF  ENTRE  RIOS. 

THIS    photograph  was  taken  from  the 
Entrerriano  side  of  the  Parana  River. 
The  shore  in  the  distance  is  that  of 
the  Province  of  Santa  Fe.    The  tree 
in  the  foreground  is  an  algarrobo. 


462 


463 


SANTA  ELENA. 

HIS  small  town  is  built  on  the  high 
bank  of  the  Parana  River  a  few  hours 
north  of  Parana,  the  capital  of  Entre 
Rios.    It  has  a  meat-canning  factory. 


464 


465 


PARANA  RIVER  PASSENGER  FERRY. 

THIS  boat,  the  Alcaraz,  plies  twice  daily 
between  the  cities  of  Parana  and  Santa 
Fe,  and  vice  versa.  This  photograph 
was  taken  on  the  Santa  Fe  shore  at 
Puerto  Colastine.  The  high  bluffs  in  the  far 
distance  is  the  Entrerriano  shore.  The  whole 
Parana  littoral  of  Entre  Rios  is  distinguished 
by  its  high  bluffs,  against  the  low-lying  swampy 
shore  of  Santa  Fe. 


466 


467 


ENTRERRIANO  SHORE  OF  THE  PARANA 

RIVER. 

THE  towns  are  mostly  built  on  the  high 
bluffs  back  from  the  river,  and  invisible 
from  the  passing  steamboats.  Steep 
roads  run  down  the  banks  to  the  muddy 
shores  of  the  river. 


468 


469 


EUROPA  STREET,  PARANA. 


PARANA,  the  capital  of  Entre  Rios,  is  a 
quiet,  sleepy  town  of  about  35,000 
inhabitants.  The  population  of  the 
commune  is  71,346.  Parana  is  on  the 
river  of  the  same  name,  about  two  hours  distant 
by  ferry  from  Santa  Fe.  It  is  a  port  of  call  for  all 
river  steamers.  The  city  is  set  about  a  mile 
back  from  the  landing  stage  at  the  river,  which  is 
connected  with  the  center  of  the  business  district 
by  a  trolley  line.  Parana  possesses  many  hand- 
some public  buildings,  has  several  broad  shady 
avenues,  and  a  fine  park,  the  Parque  Urquiza, 
named  in  honor  of  the  president  of  the  Argentine 
Confederation,  Justo  Jose  de  Urquiza,  an  Entrer- 
riano  who  met  his  death  by  assassination.  The 
cathedral  at  Parana  is,  to  the  writer's  idea,  the 
finest,  though  not  the  most  costly,  in  Argentina. 
The  bishop  is  Dr.  Abel  Bazan  y  Bustos.  Parana 
has  a  good  hotel,  the  Gransac. 

Parana  was  founded  in  1730;  from  1852  to 
1861,  it  was  capital  of  the  Argentine  Federation; 
since  1883  it  has  been  capital  of  the  province,  suc- 
ceeding Concepcion  del  Uruguay  to  that  elevation. 

This  is  a  photograph  of  the  Calle  Europa,  one  of 
the  main  streets  of  the  city,  looking  west,  away 
from  the  retail  section. 


470 


471 


PLAZA  DE  MAYO,  PARANA. 


THIS  is  the  main  square  of  the  city.  The 
view  here  shown  looks  north,  and  was 
taken  from  a  window  of  the  Gransac 
Hotel.  The  religious  edifice  with  the 
twin  towers  is  the  cathedral.  Around  this  plaza 
centers  the  life  of  the  city,  and  here  in  the  evenings 
the  band  plays.  The  east  end  of  the  plaza  is 
bounded  by  a  street  on  which  are  the  popular  cafes, 
where  the  Paranenses  sit  evenings  at  iron-topped 
tables  placed  on  the  sidewalk  and  listen  to  the 
music  of  the  band. 


472 


CATHEDRAL. 


THE  cathedral  of  Parana,  snow-white, 
surmounted  by  a  tall  dome,  presents 
a  very  pleasing  appearance.  At  each 
side  of  the  fagade  rises  a  graceful, 
slender  tower.  The  ceiling  of  the  interior  is  azure 
blue,  which  is  a  harmonious  contrast  with  the 
whiteness  of  columns  which  divide  the  aisles. 
In  Parana  it  gets  very  hot,  but  the  interior  of  the 
cathedral  is  always  cool,  and  affords  an  extra 
appropriate  place  for  pious  meditation. 


474 


475 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  MIGUEL. 

NEXT  to  the  cathedral,  this  place  of 
Holy  Worship  is  the  most  important 
in  the  Entre  Rios  capital.    Its  ex- 
terior, tomblike,   and   morbid,  has, 
however,  a  majestic  appearance.    It  is  an  old- 
timer,  one  of  the  first  built  churches  in  Parana. 


476 


477 


CAPITOL,  PARANA. 


A CASUAL  observer  of  this  photograph 
would    have    no    trouble    in  telling 
offhand  what  this  building  is.    It  is 
a  long,  severe   edifice,   European  in 
appearance,  and  covers  the  area  of  a  city  block. 


478 


URQUIZA  STREET,  PARANA. 

THIS  forlorn,  poverty-stricken  street,  in 
great  contrast  to  the  fine  ones  of  the 
city  proper,  is  situated  on  the  outskirts 
of  Parana.  Its  wretched,  morgue-hke 
houses  can  find  no  parallel  in  morbidity,  unless 
they  are  those  on  a  certain  ghoulish  lane  in  the 
village  of  San  Diego,  Province  of  Pinar  del  Rio, 
Cuba. 


480 


PROVINCE  OF  CORDOBA. 

THIS  central  province  of  Argentina  has  an 
area  of  62,160  square  miles,  being 
somewhat  smaller  than  the  State  of 
Missouri.    In  size  it  is  second  in  Argen- 
tina, and  in  population  it  is  third.    In  191 5  it 
had  'J2>^,'j2"i  inhabitants  against  44,052  in  1779. 

The  greater  part  of  the  country  is  pampa,  but  is 
watered  by  several  fairly  good-sized  rivers,  whose 
volume  of  water  varies  according  to  the  wet  and 
dry  season.  These  rivers  go  by  the  names 
of  Primero  (ist),  Segundo  (2d),  Tercero  (3d), 
Quarto  (4th),  and  Quinto  (5th).  They  are  fed  by 
springs,  rise  in  the  rocky  mountainous  country  in 
the  west  of  the  province,  and  have  their  water- 
courses marked  by  deep  gorges.  In  recent  years, 
they  have  been  used  in  irrigation  projects,  many 
large  dams  having  been  built  to  supply  water  to 
a  country  which  without  water  would  be  an  arid 
waste.  The  Primero  and  Segundo  empty  into 
the  Mar  Chiquita,  a  brackish,  semi-saline  lake 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  province,  into  which 
the  Saladillo  River  flowing  southward  from  Santi- 
ago del  Estero  also  empties.    The  Tercero  and 

482 


Quarto  join,  and  forming  one  stream  flow  into  the 
Parana  midway  between  Rosario  and  Santa  Fe. 
The  Quinto  loses  itself  in  some  salt  marshes  in 
the  Province  of  San  Luis. 

Cordoba  is  essentially  a  wheat  country,  and  by 
dry-farming  considerable  crops  are  sometimes 
grown.  On  the  other  hand,  the  devastation 
through  locusts  is  apt  to  be  great.  The  writer 
has  seen  this  country  when  there  was  not  a  single 
green  leaf  or  blade  of  grass  left  standing,  but  such 
phenomena  as  that  rarely  occur.  This  was  in  the 
summer  of  191 6. 

West  of  the  city  of  Cordoba,  the  low,  rocky 
mountains  begin.  The  aspect  is  like  that  of  the 
Austrian  Province  of  Kiistenlande,  commonly 
known  to  us  as  the  Karst,  where  great  rocks  are 
strewn  for  miles  and  miles  over  the  landscape. 
The  sagebrush,  chaparral,  and  mesquite  bushes, 
with  an  occasional  red  laurel,  are  similar  to  the 
growth  on  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Southern 
California  mountains.  The  rivers  are  also  like 
those  of  Southern  California,  turbulent,  and 
narrow,  jumping  over  rocks  forming  rapids  and 
cataracts.  The  climate  of  the  Province  of  Cordoba 
is  hard  to  beat.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
salubrious  in  all  South  America,  and  to  its  tovv^ns 
and  the  Sierra  de  Cordoba,  for  such  is  the  name 
of  the  rocky  mountain  chain,  come  people  from  all 
over  Argentina  in  search  of  health  especially  those 
with  tuberculosis  and  pulmonary  afflictions. 

The  northwestern  part  of  the  province  is  an  arid 
483 


desert  containing  the  Salinas  Grandes,  large  salty 
plains  where  not  a  green  thing  grows,  nor  any  liv- 
ing thing  inhabits  excepting  several  species  of 
poisonous  snake,  notably  among  which  is  the 
cascabel,  an  ophidia  of  the  rattlesnake  family. 

Seven  different  railroad  companies  have  lines 
in  the  province,  the  most  important  of  which  are 
the  Central  Argentina  and  the  Central  of  Cordoba. 

The  cities  are  few,  and  of  but  little  importance, 
although  there  are  a  great  number  of  villages. 
Besides  the  city  of  Cordoba,  which  is  the  capital, 
the  only  places  of  importance  are  Dean  Funes,  San 
Francisco,  Bell-Ville,  Rio  Quarto,  Jesus  Maria, 
Cruz  del  Eje,  Villa  Maria,  and  Vicuiia  Mackenna. 


484 


CORDOBA. 


THE  city  was  founded  in  1573  b}^  Luis 
Geronimo  de  Cabrera.  Its  present 
population  is  over  135,000  inhabitants, 
not  including  25,000  people  who  live  in 
the  suburbs.  It  is  the  third  city  in  Argentina, 
and  next  to  Buenos  Aires,  the  finest.  It  is  built 
in  a  depression  formed  by  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Primero,  from  which  the  city  obtains  its  water 
supply.  A  dam,  named  the  Dique  San  Roque, 
twelve  miles  northwest  of  Cordoba  checks  the  flow 
of  this  river,  the  water  being  brought  to  Cordoba 
by  conduits.  The  country  surrounding  Cordoba  is 
a  high  level  plateau  bounded  on  the  south  and 
on  the  west  by  mountains  named  the  Sierra  de 
Cordoba. 

Cordoba  has  been  truthfully  styled  the  ''Rome 
of  Argentina''  as  it  was  for  many  years  the  center 
of  Jesuitical  faith  in  the  southern  part  of  South 
America.  In  the  city  to-day  there  is  said  to 
be  several  thousand  priests,  monks,  and  members 
of  various  religious  organizations.    They  are  seen 

485 


everywhere.  The  city  literally  bristles  with  the 
spires,  and  domes  of  many  churches.  With  the 
exceptions  of  Bahia  and  Lima,  no  other  South 
American  city  can  vie  with  it  in  the  sumptuous 
luxury  of  its  Houses  of  God. 

One  of  the  five  universities  of  Argentina  is 
located  at  Cordoba.  It  was  founded  June  19, 
1613,  by  Father  Fernando  de  Trejo  y  Sanabria, 
and  to  it  was  brought  from  Lima  in  1765,  the 
first  printing  press  in  Argentina.  From  this 
university  have  graduated  many  men  famous  in 
South  American  annals,  one  of  which  was  the 
noted  tyrant  of  Paraguay,  Dr.  Caspar  Rodriguez 
de  Francia. 

Cordoba  presents  an  antique  appearance  with 
many  of  its  houses  dating  from  the  Colonial  period, 
but  these  are  fast  giving  way  to  handsome  modern 
structures.  There  are  fine  boulevards,  a  zoologi- 
cal garden  laid  out  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep  ravine, 
a  fine  theater,  two  good  hotels,  and  several  large 
banks.  Bridges  connect  the  city  with  its  suburbs, 
which  lie  mostly  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rio 
Primero. 

Cordoba  is  famous  through  Argentina  for  its 
breweries,  more  on  account  of  the  purity  of  the 
artesian  water  used  in  the  manufacture  of  its  beer 
than  for  the  size  of  the  breweries.  There  are 
three  of  them,  that  of  Rio  Segundo,  w^hich  has  a 
branch  factory  at  the  town  of  Rio  Segundo,  that 
of  PoUak  &  Brueck,  and  that  of  Ahrens.  How- 
ever, the  leading  industry  of  the  city  is  its  flour 

486 


mills,  that  of  Minetti  Brothers  being  an  exceed- 
ingly large  one. 

The  photographs  here  shown  hardly  do  justice 
to  the  city,  which  is  a  remarkably  fine  one. 


487 


PARTIAL  VIEW  OF  CORDOBA. 
The  church  at  the  left  is  that  of  San  Francisco. 


488 


489 


VIEW  OF  CORDOBA,   LOOKING  SOUTH. 


THE  large  building  at  the  right  is  the 
cathedral.    The    church    directly  in 
front,  with  the  belfry,  is  Santa  Teresa, 
while  the  two-towered  building  in  the 
left  background  is  the  church  of  La  Compafiia. 


490 


491 


CENTRAL  OF  CORDOBA  RAILWAY 
STATION. 


THIS  station  is  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  city  at  a  suburb  named  Alta 
Cordoba.    The   Central   of  Cordoba 
Railroad  does  not  descend  into  the 
pocket  in  which  the  city  is  built,  but  has  its  rail- 
road yards,  depot,  and  car  shops  on  the  top  of  the 
level  plateau. 


NORTHERN  MARKET. 

HE  Mercado  Norte,  so  is  this  market  dis- 
tinguished, is  not  far  from  the  Central  of 
Cordoba  Railway  station. 


494 


CENTENNIAL  BRIDGE. 

HIS  bridge,  named  the  Puente  Cen- 
tenario,  connects  the  city  with  its 
suburb  of  Alta  Cordoba.  It  spans 
the  Rio  Primero. 


496 


497 


BRIDGE  OVER  THE  RIO  PRIMERO. 

THIS  traffic  bridge  connects  Cordoba  with  the 
village  of  General  Paz. 


498 


499 


SAN  GERONIMO  STREET. 

THIS  street  is  named  after  the  patron 
saint  of  Cordoba.  It  was  the  first  name 
of  its  founder,  Geronimo  de  Cabrera. 
It  is  one  of  the  busy  streets  of  the  city, 
though  not  the  busiest,  and  runs  in  a  north  and 
south  direction.  On  it  is  the  Bank  of  the  Argen- 
tine Nation.  The  large  building  with  pillars, 
seen  to  the  left  of  this  photograph,  is  that  of  the 
Bank  of  the  Province  of  Cordoba. 


500 


501 


PLAZA  SAN  MARTIN. 


IT  would  be  illogical  if  Cordoba  did  not  name 
its  principal  plaza  San  Martin  or  else  de 
Mayo,  for  what  Argentine  city  does  not 
have  its  foremost  breathing  space  either 
named  after  the  Guerrero  or  after  the  month  in 
which  independence  was  declared. 

This  photograph  is  looking  south.  The  large 
building  at  the  left  of  the  center  is  the  cathedral; 
to  its  right,  the  Moorish-appearing  edifice  with  a 
clock  tower  is  the  capitol.  The  street  at  the  right 
is  the  main  business  street  in  the  city.  Its  name 
is  Dean  Funes.  On  it,  and  seen  in  the  right 
background,  the  building  with  the  two-storied 
square  tower  is  the  post-office.  The  church  with 
the  twin  towers  seen  to  the  right  over  the  roof 
of  the  capitol  is  that  of  Santo  Domingo.  The 
church  to  the  left  of  the  cathedral  is  that  of  the 
Compafiia,  while  the  building  at  the  extreme  left 
and  of  which  only  three  upper  stories  are  visible 
is  that  of  the  Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation.  On 
this  plaza  but  not  seen  in  this  photograph,  for  it  is 
behind  us,  is  the  Plaza  Hotel,  the  foremost  of  the 
city,  which  boasts  of  an  excellent  cafe  and  restau- 
rant, but  of  an  abominable  management. 


502 


BANK  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  NATION. 


THIS  is  but  a  branch  of  Argentina's  greatest 
bank,  its  headquarters  being  at  Buenos 
Aires.    Nevertheless  this  branch  is  one 
of  the  finest  and  largest  bank  edifices 
in  the  entire  republic.    It  is  on  the  Calle  San 
Geronimo    and    faces    the  Plaza   San  Martin 
diagonally  across  from  the  cathedral. 
Its  manager  is  Don  Nicolas  J.  Oderigo. 


SPANISH  BANK  OF  THE  RIVER  PLATE. 


506 


507 


BANK  OF  LONDON  AND  RIVER  PLATE. 


508 


509 


BANK  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  CORDOBA. 

IT  is  situated  on  San  Geronimo  Street,  behind 
the  Hotel  San  Martin. 


510 


CAPITOL. 

THIS  massive  old  structure  of  Moorish 
style  of  architecture  faces  the  Plaza 
San  Martin  and  occupies  a  whole  city 
block.    It  will  presently  be  demolished, 
as  a  new  capitol  will  be  built,  the  old  one  having 
been  found  too  small  and  inadequate  for  the 
increasing  business. 


512 


513 


NEW  CAPITOL. 


HIS  is  a  photograph  of  the  drawing 
that  was  accepted  in  a  contest  for  the 
new  capitol  building  which  is  at  the 
present  time  being  built.    It  will  be 
gnificent  building. 


NEW  COURTHOUSE. 


^HIS  is  a  likeness  of  the  drawing  of  the  new 
courthouse,  about  to  be  erected  in  Cordoba. 


P  R  D  y  E  C  T  O 


517 


NEW  CITY  HALL. 


THIS  photograph  is  also  from  a  drawing. 
Not  only  will  Cordoba  have  a  new 
Capitol,  and  a  new  courthouse,  but 
it  will  have  a  new  city  hall  of  which 
this  photograph  will  be  a  likeness.  The  erection 
of  these  new  buildings  will  tend  to  relieve  the 
city  of  its  antiquated  appearance,  Cordoba  also 
needs  a  new  post-office  badly. 


518 


519 


RIVERA  INDARTE  THEATER. 

HIS  Grecian  edifice  is  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Avenida  General  Paz,  In  color  it 
is  yellowish  brown. 


520 


521 


OLMOS  SCHOOL. 

T  is  named  after  a  member  of  the  Olmos 
family,  one  of  the  most  influential  and  power- 
ful families  of  the  Province  of  Cordoba. 


522 


PENITENTIARY. 

THIS  frowning  abode  for  criminals  is  in  a  suburb 
of  Cordoba,  the  village  of  San  Martin. 


524 


CORDOBA  BREWERY. 

THE  Cordoba  Brewery  owned  by  Pollak 
and  Brueck  is  a  small  affair,  yet  it  has 
proved  to  be  a  very  lucrative  invest- 
ment.   This  photograph  shows  only 
one  of  the  buildings.    Like  in  the  Rio  Segundo 
Brewery,  the  water  used  here  in  the  manufacture 
of  beer  is  from  a  deep  artesian  well. 


526 


527 


MINETTI  BROTHERS'  FLOUR  MILL. 

THIS  is  the  largest  of  the  Cordobese  flour 
mills.  It  has  also  been  a  very  lucrative 
investment  for  its  owners. 


528 


529 


CATHEDRAL. 

HIS  is  a  grand  old  building,  very  elaborate 
and  costly  as  to  interior  decorations.  It 
is  the  most  famous  church  in  Argentina. 


530 


531 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  ROQUE. 


532 


CHURCH  OF  SANTO  DOMINGO. 


534 


535 


CLOISTER  OF  SANTO  DOMINGO. 

HE  convent  of  Santo  Domingo  adjoins 
church  of  the  same  name. 


536 


537 


CHURCH  OF  LA  MERCEDES. 

ITS  dome  and  the  cupolas  on  the  towers  are 
different  shades  of  glazed  blue  tile. 


538 


539 


CHURCH  OF  THE  COMPANIA. 

CoMPANiA  means  "Holy  Company." 


540 


541 


CHURCH  OF  SANTA  TERESA. 


542 


543 


CHURCH  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

"^HIS  religious  edifice  has  also  a  cloister 
connection  with  it. 


544 


INTERIOR  OF  CHURCH  OF  SAN 
FRANCISCO. 


546 


AVENIDA  GENERAL  PAZ. 


HIS  is  the  lower  end  and  poorer  part 
of  this  thoroughfare.  Its  upper  end 
is  hned  by  many  fine  buildings  and 
a  few  handsome  residences. 


548 


1 


FALL  OF  BRIDGE  IN  SARMIENTO  PARK. 

THIS  remarkable  photograph  shows  the 
remains  of  a  bridge  over  an  artificial 
lake  in  Sarmiento  Park  which  collapsed 
under  the  strain  of  the  weight  of  many 
people.  The  writer  was  on  the  bridge  at  the 
time  it  fell;  the  water  in  its  deepest  place  did  not 
exceed  three  feet,  but  many  persons  underwent 
a  ducking. 


550 


ZObLOGICAL  GARDEN. 


THIS  zoological  garden  is  original.    It  is 
built  in  the  bottom  of  a  natural  ravine, 
and  in  artificial  caverns  in  the  sides 
of  the  rock  cages  have  been  made  for 
wild  beasts.    The  cage  at  the  top  of  the  steps  to 
the  left  is  that  of  the  lions. 


552 


553 


STATUE  TO  VELEZ  SARSFIELD. 


554 


SOBREMONTE  HOUSE. 


THIS  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  Cordoba. 
Its   likeness   is   here   reproduced  to 
give  the  observer  an  idea  of  how  the 
houses  of  the  colonial  period  appeared. 
There  are  not  many  of  these  left  standing  in 
Argentina,  although  Chile  has  them  galore. 


556 


557 


GARZON  RESIDENCE. 


THIS  handsome   brick  residence  is  the 
property  of  the  Governor  of  the  Pro- 
vince of  Cordoba,  Dr.  Felix  C.  Gar- 
zon.    It  is  on  the  Avenida  General  Paz, 
not  far  from  the  heart  of  the  city. 


558 


CHALET  OF  SENOR  MINETTI. 

THIS  chalet  is  in  Villa  Agents,  a  suburb 
of  Cordoba.  It  belongs  to  Senor 
Minetti,  one  of  the  firm  of  Minetti 
Brothers,  flour-mill  proprietors. 


560 


56i 


STREET  SCENE,  BIALET  MASSET. 


VILLA  Bialet  Masset  is  a  small  village  of 
one  long  straggling  street  in  the  province 
of  Cordoba,  about  twenty -five  miles 
northwest  of  the  city  of  Cordoba.  It 
Hes  in  a  mountainous  region  and  is  not  far  from 
Cosquin. 


STREET  SCENE,  CORDOBA. 


562 


FILTERS  ON  THE  RIO  PRIMERO. 

THE  Rio  Primero  furnishes  the  potable 
water  for  the  city  of  Cordoba.  These 
filters  are  several  miles  distant  from 
the  city. 


564 


565 


RIO  PRIMERO. 


THIS  is  a  typical  scene  on  this  turbulent 
stream  which  rises  in  the  Sierra  de 
Cordoba.    It  is  not  unlike  the  streams 
in  the  Western  States  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  country  through  which  it  flows  is 
also  similar  to  that  of  the  Western  States. 


566 


PUENTE  DEL  SALTO. 

HIS  is  a  bridge  over  the  Rio  Primero. 
Salto  means  a  ''waterfall/'  There  are 
no  waterfalls  on  the  Rio  Primero, 
cascades  rather. 


568 


569 


DIQUE  MALET. 

N  English  this  means  Malet  Dam.  It  is 
one  of  the  systems  of  dams  on  the  Rio 
Primero  to  hold  back  the  water  in  a  reser- 
voir for  Cordoba's  water  supply. 


570 


571 


DIQUE  SAN  ROQUE. 

THE  San  Roque  Dam  is  on  the  Argentine 
Northern  Railroad,  28  miles  northwest 
of  Cordoba.    It  is  the  largest  dam  in 
the  province  and  holds  in  check  the 
San  Roque  Lake,  which  empties  into  the  Rio 
Primero,  forming  a  huge  reservoir.    It  is  one  of 
the  sights  of  the  province. 


572 


573 


SAN  ROQUE  LAKE. 

THIS  photograph  was  taken  by  the  writer 
from  the  footpath  that  crosses  the  top 
of  the  masonry  of  the  dam  of  the  same 
name.    It  is  a  large  reservoir  of  green- 
ish water  filHng  the  canyon  bottom.     The  real 
part  of  the  lake  lies  in  the  far  distance  and  can  be 
seen  through  the  narrows. 


TYPICAL  ESTANCIA,  PROVINCE  OF 
CORDOBA. 

THIS  estancia  is  near  the  hamlet  of  San  Roque, 
about  five  miles  from  San  Roque  Lake. 


574 


575 


s 


CHURCH  AT  SAN  ROQUE. 

AN  ROQUE  nestles  in  the  midst  of  the 
lonesome  Sierra  de  Cordoba.  It  is  an  old 
hamlet  of  very  few  houses. 


576 


CORDOBESE   LANDSCAPE   IN  THE 
SIERRA. 


578 


COSQUIN. 


COSQUIN  is  a  village  on  the  Argentine 
Northern  Railroad,  36  miles  northwest 
of  Cordoba.  It  has  a  population  of 
about  2000  inhabitants,  and  is  the  most 
important  town  in  the  Sierras.  Its  climate  is  dry  and 
salubrious,  and  it  is  resorted  to  by  consumptives 
and  by  those  afflicted  with  lung  troubles.  Half- 
way between  Cosquin  and  the  neighboring  village 
of  Villa  Bialet  Masset,  there  is  a  large  sanatorium 
for  patients  suffering  from  tuberculosis.  It  is  a 
dull,  sleepy  place,  and  unattractive.  The  trip 
thither  from  Cordoba  by  automobile  is  recom- 
mended, not  so  much  on  account  of  picturesque- 
ness,  but  because  it  gives  the  tourist  an  idea  of  what 
the  mountainous  part  of  Cordoba  is  really  like,  it 
being  so  different  from  the  other  mountainous 
parts  of  the  republic. 


580 


58i 


THE  HUB  OF  ACTIVITY  OF  COSQUIN. 


IN  this  dull  sleepy  town,  the  shadeless  plaza  in 
front  of  the  church  is  where  people  congregate. 
The  building  to  the  right  is  the  post-office. 


STREET  IN  COSQUIN. 

THE  building  at  the  left  is  the  Hotel  Mun- 
dial,  the  best  in  the  village.    The  man 
in  the  photograph  is  the  headwaiter. 
His  name  is  Garcia.    It  was  his  v/ish 
to  pose  for  this  snap-shot. 


582 


FRUIT  AND  CAKE  VENDORS,  PROVINCE 
OF  CORDOBA. 

NOTE    the    careworn    appearance  of  their 
swarthy  countenances. 


584 


PROVINCE  OF  TUCUMAN. 


jUCUMAN,  the  smallest  of  all  the  Argen- 


the  most  fertile  province  of  the  republic,  its 
southern  and  eastern  area  being  given  up  nearly 
entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  sugar  cane.  The 
northern  and  western  portions  are  mountainous 
and  are  covered  by  a  fine  forest  of  semi-tropical 
trees.  The  only  river  of  importance  is  the  Sali, 
which  takes  its  source  from  numerous  streams 
rising  in  the  mountains  of  the  Aconquija  Range 
and  flows  in  a  southeasterly  direction  into  the 
Province  of  Santiago  del  Estero.  The  Sail  is 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  Rio  Dulce.  The 
snow-capped  peak  of  Aconquija,  8612  feet  high, 
can  be  seen  rising  above  the  other  mountains  in 
solitary  grandeur  from  nearly  every  point  in  the 
eastern  or  flat  part  of  the  province. 

The  Province  of  Tucuman  is  styled,  and  not 
without  reason,  ''the  Europe  of  Argentina,"  on 
account  of  its  numerous  villages  and  settlements, 
and  from  the  chimneys  of  the  mills  which  bristle 


tine  provinces,  has  an  area  of  but  8926 
square  miles,  not  being  much  larger 
than  the  State  of  Massachusetts.    It  is 


586 


everywhere  on  the  landscape.  UnHke  other  pro- 
vinces of  Argentina  in  which  civilization  and  settle- 
ment came  after  the  railroads,  in  Tucuman  it 
preceded  them.  It  is  to-day  the  most  industrial 
part  of  Argentina.  Its  population  is  373,073, 
about  100,000  of  which  live  in  the  capital,  the  city 
of  Tucuman. 

The  soil  is  extremely  fertile ;  the  rainfall  abun- 
dant ;  crops  thrive  well.  Seen  from  the  mountains 
to  the  west  of  the  flat  plain,  the  country  appears 
to  be  a  vast  green  checkerboard.  The  mountain 
valleys  are  veritable  Gardens  of  Eden.  The 
climate  is  hot,  although  in  winter  in  the  uplands 
there  is  an  occasional  frost.  While  the  writer  so- 
journed in  Tucuman,  the  thermometer  one  day 
registered  108°  Fahrenheit  in  the  shade. 

At  a  town  named  Tafi  Viejo,  11  miles  north  of 
the  capital,  the  Central  Northern  Railroad  (Gov- 
ernment owned)  has  the  largest  railway  repair 
shops  in  South  America.  Cheeses  from  Tafi,  a 
village  in  the  mountains  about  60  miles  west  of 
the  capital,  are  renowned  locally.  The  mineral 
springs  of  Ghino  produce  a  water  that  has  a  wide 
sale.  Next  to  sugar,  the  chief  exports  are  rum, 
timber,  and  fruit.  Besides  the  capital,  the  princi- 
pal towns  are  Concepcion,  Bella  Vista,  Graneros, 
Monteros,  Lules,  Chicligasta,  and  Famailla.  The 
railroads  are  the  Central  of  Cordoba,  the  Argen- 
tine Central,  Northern.  All  have  many  branches 
in  the  province  as  outlets  to  the  large  sugar 
factories. 

587 


TUCUMAN. 


TUCUMAN,  with  100,000  inhabitants,  is 
the  fifth  city  of  Argentina,  being  sur- 
passed in  population  only  by  Buenos 
Aires,  Rosario,  Cordoba,  and  La  Plata. 
It  is  commercially  the  third  city  of  the  republic, 
and  is  the  great  industrial  city  of  the  country. 
Tucuman  is  a  sort  of  hub,  for  it  is  the  center  of  the 
great  sugar-cane  district  from  which  all  roads  lead 
to  it.  It  has  within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles  a 
quantity  of  small  towns,  to  which  it  is  connected 
by  rail  with  frequent  service. 

The  situation  of  the  city  is  fine.  It  is  built 
near  the  River  Sail,  on  a  flat,  fertile,  and  ultra 
productive  plain,  where  the  temperature  is  nearly 
always  what  can  be  styled  hot.  Several  miles  to 
the  west  rise  wooded  mountains  abounding  in 
beautiful  scenery.  At  the  top  of  one  of  these  is  a 
village  named  Villa  Nougues,  at  an  altitude  of 
3000  feet  above  the  valley,  where  it  is  always  cool 
and  is  a  favorite  resort  for  those  wishing  to  escape 
the  discomforts  of  the  city. 

Though  Tucuman  is  not  what  one  would  call  a 
beautiful  city  (industrial  cities  rarely  are),  it  has 
some  very  laudable  buildings,  chief  among  which  is 

588 


the  capitol,  and  some  fine  avenues  have  recently 
been  laid  out.  It  has  a  good  electric  car  service,  and 
an  excellent  hotel,  the  Savoy,  which  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  all  Argentina.  It,  with  its  neighboring 
gambling  casino  (which  has  a  concession  from 
the  municipality),  were  erected  in  19 14  at  a 
cost  of  $1,500,000.  The  city  bustles  with  life, 
not  only  in  its  center  but  also  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  railroad  stations,  which  is  the  quarter 
where  the  greater  proportion  of  the  working  men 
live.  Tucuman  has  the  youngest  university  in 
Argentina,  it  being  founded  in  191 5.  It  has  also 
an  agricultural  experimental  station,  equipped 
with  an  excellent  bacteriological  laboratory.  The 
Cerveceria  del  Norte,  next  to  that  of  Quilmes, 
is  the  largest  brewery  in  the  republic.  It  is  said 
that  if  all  the  other  breweries  in  the  republic 
should  close,  the  capacity  of  the  one  in  Tucuman 
is  ample  to  supply  all  Argentina. 

Tucuman  w^as  founded  by  Diego  de  Villaroel, 
September  29,  1565,  several  miles  south  of  where 
the  present  city  now  stands.  In  1585  it  was  re- 
moved to  its  present  site  which  is  1453  feet  above 
sea  level.  The  city  is  dear  to  all  Argentine  patri- 
ots, for  here  on  July  9,  181 6,  the  delegates  from  the 
River  Plate  provinces  met  and  drew  up  a  declara- 
tion freeing  them  from  all  ties  with  Spain.  The 
house  in  which  this  declaration  of  independence 
was  drawn  up  has  been  preserved  by  having  a 
building  of  ferro-concrete  built  around  it,  and  is 
to-day  the  show  place  of  the  city. 

589 


CENTRAL  OF  ARGENTINA  RAILROAD 
STATION. 


"DELIGHTED." 

A PHOTOGRAPH  of  Mr.  Theodore  Roose- 
velt as  he  passed  through  the  streets  of 
Tucuman  from  the  railroad  station,  en 
route  to  his  hotel,  spring  of  191 3.  This 
was  taken  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Kirwin  of  Tucuman. 


590 


NORTH  SIDE  OF  THE  PLAZA. 

THE  building  in  the  distance  to  the  left  of  the 
center  is  the  capitol. 


STREET  SCENE. 

THE  building  with  the  twin  towers  is  the 
cathedral. 


592 


593 


SIDE  STREET. 


ONE  OF  THE  MAIN  STREETS. 


594 


595 


SOUTH  SIDE  OF  THE  PLAZA. 


SCHOOL  BUILT  AND  MAINTAINED  BY 
THE  PROVINCIAL  GOVERNMENT 


596 


THE  CAPITOL,  TUCUMAN. 

THIS  is  one  of  the  finest  provincial  capitol 
buildings  in  Argentina.  It  was  finished 
in  1 9 14,  and  covers  an  entire  block. 
On  the  second  story  of  the  corner  fac- 
ing us,  is  the  private  office  of  the  Governor,  Dr. 
Ernesto  Padilla,  a  friend  of  the  writer.  Adjoining 
his  office  he  has  a  room  devoted  to  a  collection 
of  Indian  antiquities  of  Tucuman  Province.  The 
interior  of  this  building  is  elaborately  rich  and 
luxurious. 


598 


599 


STREET  SCENE. 

THIS  is  the  9th  of  July  Street  looking  from 
the  corner  of  24th  of  September  Street. 


600 


MUNICIPAL  PAWNSHOP. 


602 


6o3 


A  HOLIDAY  IN  TUCUMAN. 

THIS  photograph  was  taken  from  the  roof  of 
the  capitol. 


604 


GENERAL  O'DONNELL'S  ESCORT  OF 
LANCERS. 

GENERAL  O'DONNELL,  a  native 
Argentine,  is  in  command  of  the  part 
of  the  Argentine  army  stationed  at 
Tucuman.    He  is  an  acquaintance  of 

the  writer. 


606 


6o7 


UNIVERSITY  OF  TUCUMAN. 


IT  is  the  youngest  of  the  Argentine  univer- 
sities, having  been  founded  in  191 5.  Its 
departments    are    yet    incomplete.  The 
other  universities  in  Argentina  are  four, 
and  are  located  at  Cordoba,  Buenos  Aires,  La 
Plata,  and  Santa  Fe. 


608 


PATIO  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY. 


6io 


EXAMINERS'    BOARD,    UNIVERSITY  OF 
TUCUMAN. 


THE  gentleman  in  the  center  with  the 
straw  hat  on  his  knee  is  Dr.  Juan 
B.  Teran,  president  of  the  university 
and  a  friend  of  the  writer.    The  two 
gentlemen  at  his  right  are  Americans,  connected 
with  the  Experimental  Station  of  Agriculture  at 
Tucuman. 


6i3 


BACTERIOLOGICAL    LABORATORY,  EX- 
PERIMENTAL STATION  OF  AGRICUL- 
TURE. 

THE  Experimental  Station  of  Agriculture 
is  situated  a  couple  of  miles  north .  of 
the  city,  and  is  in  charge  of  some 
professors  from  the  United  States. 


614 


6i5 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  ALBERDI  THEATRE. 


6i6 


6i7 


CIGAR  FACTORY. 

HIS  also  is  one  of  the  leading  industries  of 
Tucuman.  Most  of  the  labor  is  done  by 
girls  and  women. 


6i8 


6i9 


FIRE  ENGINE,  TUCUMAN. 

THIS  is  the  best  and  most  complete 
fire   engine   in    South   America.  It 
is  the  property  of  the  Tucuman  Fire 
Department.     It  is  a  Merryweather 
(London)  6o-Horse  Power. 


620 


621 


THE  FIREMEN'S  BALL. 


THIS  is  an  annual  event  eagerly  looked 
forward  to  by  the  firemen  and  their 
friends.    It  is  held  every  New  Year's 
night  and  commemorates  the  founding 
of  the  corps  which  at  present  (191 7)  has  nineteen 
years  of  existence. 


622 


623 


MAUSOLEUM  OF  THE  CLERGYMEN.^S 
SOCIETY. 

THIS  monument  is  in  the  West  Cemetery. 
The  man  at  its  base  is  its  architect 
and  sculptor.    So  that  his  name  won't 
pass  into  oblivion,  note  the  large  tablet 
on  the  right-hand  side  of  its  face  which  has  dis- 
figured it  by  its  gross  braggadocio. 


624 


MOUNTED  POLICEMAN,  TUCUMAN. 


626 


A  FORTUNATE  GENTLEMAN. 

THE  smooth-shaven  man  in  this  photo- 
graph several  years  ago  sold  lottery 
tickets  on  a  small  scale.  At  Xmas, 
1908,  he  could  not  sell  all  he  had,  and 
was  left  with  several.  Once  the  extraction  was 
published,  he  found  that  one  of  his  left-over 
tickets  had  won  for  him  a  million  pesos  ($460,000). 
He  still  has  a  sale  of  lottery  tickets,  which  today 
is  the  largest  in  Tucuman. 


628 


629 


TYPICAL  GROCERY  STORE,  SUBURBS  OF 
TUCUMAN. 

IN  this  place  you  can  have  a  drink,  while  you 
make  your  purchases  of  flour,  sugar,  etc. 


630 


631 


A  COUNTRY  COTTAGE. 

EVERYONE  is  waiting  for  the  bird  to  appear, 
the  donkey  also. 


632 


CURIOUS  STONE,  PROVINCE  OF  TUCU- 

MAN. 

THIS  solitary  stone  was  found  to  be  covered 
with  Indian  drawings  and  hieroglyphics. 


634 


635 


A  NEAR  VIEW  OF  THE  SAME  STONE. 

THIS  shows  plainly  the  interesting  carvings 
done  by  the  Indians.  When  discov- 
ered, this  stone  was  covered  with  moss. 
When  Mr.  A.  A.  Kirwin,  the  author 
of  this  photograph,  heard  of  this  find,  he  went 
to  see  it.  He  had  it  scraped  and  washed;  then 
when  it  was  dry,  he  passed  a  piece  of  chalk  over 
each  line  of  every  figure.  This  accounts  for 
the  ease  by  which  you  can  distinguish  the  work. 


636 


PROVINCE  OP  SALTA. 


THIS  second  largest  province  of  Argentina 
is  a  country  itself,  no  South  American 
republic  having  a  more  varied  topo- 
graphy, greater  differences  of  climate, 
soil,  or  rainfall.  Part  of  it  lies  in  the  tropics,  and 
part  in  the  temperate  zone.  Its  area  is  62,184 
square  miles,  exceeding  the  Province  of  Cordoba 
by  twenty-four  square  miles  only.  It  is  some- 
what smaller  than  Missouri,  or  Washington,  and 
is  a  trifle  larger  than  either  Georgia,  Florida,  or 
Michigan.  Its  population  is  142,068  inhabitants, 
having  had  but  a  small  increase  in  recent  years. 
The  census  of  1869  gave  it  88,933  inhabitants. 

The  western  and  northwestern  parts  of  the 
province  are  traversed  by  the  eastern  chain  of 
the  Andes,  a  cold,  windy,  bleak,  forlorn  desert 
and  conglomeration  of  rocky  mountain  peaks 
where  it  seldom  rains.  The  culminating  point 
is  the  peak  of  Cachi,  covered  with  perpetual  snow. 
The  eastern  half  is  a  great  tropical  forest,  well 
watered  and  low  lying  and  in  which  rise  rivers 
such  as  the  Bermejo,  the  Teuco  and  others  that 
flow  southeasterly  into  the  Paraguay  forming 

638 


part  of  the  great  River  Plate  system.  This 
country  has  an  excess  of  rainfall,  and  here  are 
located  some  large  sugar  mills.  Rice  could  be 
grown  profitably. 

The  part  where  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants 
live  is  in  the  valleys  in  the  center,  especially  that 
of  the  Lerma.  Here  the  tree-covered  mountains 
open  up  into  wide  and  spacious  valleys,  very  fertile, 
and  which  are  well  cultivated.  That  of  Cafayate 
produces  excellent  wine,  which  unfortunately  is 
not  frequently  exported  from  the  province.  Stock- 
raising  is  a  leading  industry.  The  cattle  are 
driven  across  the  high  and  barren  Andes  and  are 
sold  at  a  great  gain  at  Antofagasta  and  other 
nitrate  ports  of  Northern  Chile.  There  is  but 
one  railroad  in  the  province,  Central  Northern, 
which  has  several  branches.  It  is  now  continuing 
its  antennae  by  two  parallel  lines  to  the  Paraguay 
River  across  the  Argentine  Chaco.  What  Salt  a 
needs  more  than  anything,  according  to  the 
conversation  of  the  inhabitants  with  the  writer,  is 
a  transandean  line  to  connect  with  Antofagasta, 
Chile,  for  it  would  be  the  natural  outlet  for  the  sale 
of  their  stock  on  account  of  the  high  prices  paid 
for  cattle  in  Northern  Chile.  Freight  makes  the 
exportation  of  stock  to  the  Argentine  seaboard 
prohibitive. 

Salta  contains,  with  the  exception  of  the  capital, 
very  few  places  of  any  importance.  Oran  is  a 
small  place  kept  up  by  the  sugar  industry.  Giie- 
mes  is  a  railroad  center.    Rosario  de  la  Frontera  is 

639 


renowned  for  its  mineral  springs,  which  He  four 
miles  east  of  the  town  of  the  same  name.  There 
are  six  springs,  all  different,  and  it  is  said  that  at 
no  other  place  in  the  world  is  there  such  a  marked 
contrast  in  the  composition  of  the  mineral  waters 
than  is  found  there.  One  spring  is  siliceous;  one 
is  ferruginous;  one  is  alkaline,  like  Vichy;  one 
is  saline ;  one  is  sulphurous ;  the  last  has  purgative 
qualities. 

As  in  Tucuman,  here  in  Salta  civilization  pre- 
ceded the  railroad.  In  olden  days  it  took  three 
months  for  a  journey  to  Buenos  Aires.  For  this 
reason,  its  towns  have  a  colonial  appearance  of 
ancient  style  of  architecture.  There  lies  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest  about  six  hours  from  the  rail- 
road station  of  Metan,  an  old  city  named  Santi- 
ago del  Esteca,  practically  forgotten,  but  possessing 
the  solid  buildings  of  two  centuries  ago. 


640 


CITY  OF  SALTA. 


SALTA  is  the  capital  of  the  province  of  the 
same  name.  It  has  a  population  of  about 
28,000  inhabitants;  that  of  the  commune 
IS  33,899.  The  original  city  was  founded 
in  1582  in  the  Valley  of  Siancas  by  Abreu,  and  was 
given  the  name  of  San  Clemente  de  Nueva  Sevilla. 
Two  years  later  the  site  was  transferred  to  where 
the  city  now  stands  and  was  called  San  Felipe  de 
Lerma,  in  honor  of  the  Hernando  de  Lerma  who 
had  the  place  moved.  The  name  Salta  grad- 
ually came  into  use  and  supplanted  the  original 
appellation. 

It  is  a  compact,  well-built  city  of  ancient  houses, 
many  of  them  having  extremely  thick  walls.  Like 
all  houses  of  Spanish  colonial  architecture  these 
buildings  are  low,  and  surround  large  patios.  In 
the  last  few  years,  however,  some  fine  buildings 
have  been  erected  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Plaza  9th 
of  July,  which  add  greatly  to  the  appearance  of 
the  business  section  of  the  city. 

Salta  possesses  some  superb  churches,  with 
cupolas  and  steeples,  ornamented  with  porcelain 
tiles.    It  is  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  and  has  a 

642 


famous  monastery,  that  of  San  Francisco,  nearly 
three  hundred  years  old.  Seen  from  the  plains 
north  of  the  city,  its  spires  and  towers  give  it  a 
mediaeval  Teutonic  appearance.  This  aspect  is 
augmented  by  the  vision  of  the  twin  spires  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church.  There  is  a  good  hotel, 
the  Plaza.  The  park  of  San  Martin  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  city  is  an  attractive  place  to  spend  the 
afternoon.  There  is  a  good  electric  tram  system 
and  the  streets  are  well  paved  with  cobblestones, 
and  creosote  blocks. 

The  climate  is  said  to  be  unhealthy,  a  fever 
named  chucho,  a  form  of  ague,  being  prevalent, 
but  the  writer  thinks  that  the  prevalence  of 
chucho  is  exaggerated,  this  thought  being  borne 
out  by  the  reports  of  the  Board  of  Sanitation  of 
the  province. 


643 


RAILROAD  STATION,  SALTA. 

THIS  is  the  station  of  the  Central  North- 
ern Railroad.    It  is  situated  on  the 
northern  outskirts  of  the  city,  about 
a  mile  from  the  center  of  the  busi- 
district. 


644 


A  PARADE  IN  SALTA. 

THE  view  here  given  is  that  of  the  north 
side  of  the  principal  plaza,  that  of  the 
9th  of  July.  The  view  is  looking  east. 
The  building  with  the  Corinthian  pillars 
in  the  near  left  foreground  is  the  cathedral.  Its 
bishop  is  Jose  Gregorio  Romero.  The  two-story 
building  on  the  same  side  of  the  street  and  in 
the  left  background  is  the  Plaza  Hotel.  The 
three-story  building  facing  us  is  used  upstairs  for 
residential  purposes.  Downstairs  it  contains  the 
beer  hall  "Al  Mejor  Chopp/' 


646 


SALTA  SOCIAL  CLUB. 


THE  three-story  building  in  the  left  fore- 
ground is  the  Salta  Social.  Club,  now 
finished.  It  is  one  of  the  most  modern 
buildings  in  the  city.  It  is  luxuriously 
furnished,  and  would  put  to  shame  many  of  the 
so-called  select  clubs  of  our  North  American 
cities.  The  interior  finishing  was  done  by  native 
woodcarvers,  of  woods  indigenous  to  the  Salta 
forests.  The  heavy  candelabra  of  Venetian  glass 
and  the  gilded  Louis  XVI.  furniture  of  the  ball- 
room were  imported  from  France  at  great  expense. 

The  building  on  its  right  facing  us  is  also  of 
modern  construction,  but  the  low^  building  in  the 
right  background  is  ancient.  These  edifices  are 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza  9th  of  July. 


648 


BUILDING  OF  THE  COLONIAL 
TYPE. 

THIS  long,  and  low,  but  artistic  edifice  is 
one  of  the  class  that  is  slowly  but 
surely  disappearing  in  Salta.  It  is  of 
the  Spanish  colonial  type  of  architec- 
ture and  is  over  one  hundred  years  old.  Notice 
the  Gothic  arches  on  the  ground  floor,  and  the 
Moorish  ornamentation  of  the  second  story.  The 
walls  are  very  thick ;  they  have  the  same  thickness 
as  the  piers  between  the  ground-floor  arches. 
This  building  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza  9th 
of  July,  and  on  its  ground  floor  has  barber  shops, 
cigar  stores,  and  bootblack  stands. 


650 


OLD  CABILDO,  SALTA. 


THIS  is  the  old  city  hall,  called  cabildo. 
Here  also  were  located  the  offices  of  the 
provincial  government.  It  is  a  landmark 
of  the  city,  and  should  be  preserved.  It 
is  no  longer  used  for  public  usages.  The  right  half 
of  it  is  rented  by  a  German  who  has  a  restaurant 
and  beer  saloon  on  the  ground  floor  named  ''Al 
Buen  Chopp,"  while  he  lives  above  it  and  rents 
the  other  rooms  to  transient  guests.  Notice  the 
eaves  above  the  second  story  projecting  across  the 
sidewalk.  During  a  rain  the  pedestrian  is  apt  to 
get  a  douche  from  them.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
preserved  ancient  buildings  in  Argentina. 


652 


PLAZA  HOTEL. 


THOUGH  not  in  a  class  with  its  namesake 
in  Buenos  Aires,  nor  as  good  as  the 
Plaza  Hotel  of  Cordoba,  this  Plaza 
Hotel  of  Salta  is  a  very  laudable  affair. 
It  is  by  far  the  best  hotel  in  Salta,  is  clean, 
with  good  dining-room  service.  Many  larger 
cities  in  the  United  States  have  far  worse  hotels 
than  this.  Most  of  the  rooms  open  onto  a  patio, 
from  which  ascend  two  staircases  to  the  second 
floor. 


654 


655 


MITRE  STREET. 

THIS  is  the  main  street  of  Salta,  although 
this  photograph  was  taken  of  a  part  of 
it,  two  blocks  north  of  where  the  real 
retail  section  begins.  Mitre  Street 
begins  at  the  railroad  station  and,  passing  the  new 
capitol,  runs  to  the  Plaza  9th  of  July.  It  then 
continues  southward  to  the  end  of  the  city  past 
the  church  of  the  Candelaria,  with  separate 
campanile. 


656 


BANK  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  NATION. 

THIS  branch  of  the  great  Buenos  Aires 
Bank  is  the  largest  in  the  Province  of 
Salta.  It  is  situated  about  half  a  block 
west  of  the  Plaza  9th  of  July.  The 
manager  is  Don  Francisco  Pereyra,  whose  guest 
Dr.  Stephens  was  during  his  sojourn  in  Salta. 
The  upstairs  is  used  for  the  living  apartments 
of  the  Pereyra  family. 


658 


PROVINCIAL  BANK,  SALTA. 


NEARLY  every  provincial  capital  has  a 
bank   named    Provincial    Bank,  or 
Bank  of  the  Province  of  — .  Salta 
is  no  exception  to  this.    These  build- 
ings give  an  idea  of  the  type  of  modern  construction 
which  is  replacing  the  ancient  in  this  northern 
city  of  Argentina. 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  LA  MERCED. 

NEARLY  all  of  the  Salta  churches  are  old- 
timers.  Observe  this  antique  remnant 
of  Spanish  times. 


662 


SAN  MARTIN  PARK. 


THIS  recreation  ground  and  favorite  pro- 
menade is  on  the  eastern  limits  of  the 
city.    It  contains  several  artificial  lakes ; 
it  also  has  a  casino  where  the  thirsty 
visitor  on  a  hot  summer's  day  may  partake  of  a  cool, 
refreshing  drink. 


664 


PENITENTIARY. 


666 


667 


MODERN  RESIDENCE,  SALTA. 


668 


2oTH  OF  FEBRUARY  MONUMENT. 


THIS  monument  commemorates  the  vic- 
tory of  General  Belgrano  over  the 
Spaniards,  February  20,  1812.  This 
monument  stands  on  the  plain  where 
the  battle  took  place,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
northwest  of  Salta. 


670 


CEMETERY  SCENE,  SALTA. 

HE  monument  in  the  foreground  is  that  of 
a  private  family.  These  monuments  are 
made  of  brick  and  plastered  over. 


672 


6-3 


VIEW  ACROSS  THE  ROOFS  OF  SALTA 
FROM  MONASTERY  OF  SAN 
FRANCISCO. 


THE  monastery  of  San  Francisco  is  three  hun- 
dred years  old. 


STREET  SCENE  IN  GUEMES. 

THIS  is  the  main  street  of  the  village  of 
General  Giiemes,  or  Gtiemes  as  it  is 
more  often  called.  The  town  is  named 
after  a  member  of  the  wealthy  and  re- 
nowned Gtiemes  family  of  Salta.  It  is  a  railroad 
center,  and  at  best  is  a  miserable  looking  place. 
This  is  a  good  example  of  a  small  town  of  North- 
ern Argentina.  Arches,  piers,  and  pillars  (observe 
building  in  center  of  this  photograph)  play  a  more 
important  part  in  architecture  than  in  Southern 
Ar2:entina. 


674 


n  I 


"1  I  I 


STEERS  ON  A  SALTA  FARM. 


677 


PROVINCE  OF  SAN  LUIS. 


THE  area  of  this  province  is  28,535 
square  miles,  somewhat  smaller  than 
the  state  of  South  Carolina.  Its  popu- 
lation in  1 91 5  was  122,720  inhabitants. 
In  agriculture  San  Luis  is  one  of  the  poorest  prov- 
inces in  all  Argentina,  and  it  is  to  be  wondered  at 
that  it  has  the  population  that  it  has.  The  northern 
part  is  mountainous,  a  continuation  of  the  Sierra 
de  Cordoba,  covered  with  sagebrush,  chaparral, 
and  mesquite.  Here  rise  a  few  rivers  that  flow  in- 
to the  Province  of  Cordoba,  the  most  important  of 
these  being  the  Rio  Quinto.  These  rivers  have 
more  water  nearer  their  sources  than  farther  down- 
stream, for,  in  the  last-mentioned  places,  much 
water  has  become  absorbed  by  the  sand  or  has 
become  saline  on  account  of  the  surface  salt  in  the 
soil.  The  southern  part  of  the  province  is  sterile ; 
it  is  an  arid  desert  where  few  people  live.  San 
Luis  suffers  from  droughts,  sometimes  a  year 
elapsing  between  rains;  the  part  of  the  country 
which  is  under  cultivation  is  brought  into  its 
present  state  by  means  of  irrigation,  the  water 
supply  being  furnished  by  the  dams  of  Potrero  de 
los  Funes,  and  of  Chorillos. 

678 


Although  San  Luis  is  deficient  in  water,  and 
therefore  poor  in  agriculture,  it  is  rich  in  mineral 
resources,  which  since  Spanish  rule  have  been 
neglected.  The  Spaniards  exploited  the  country 
merely  for  the  minerals,  and  at  Carolina  they  had 
valuable  gold  mines.  Wolfram  and  manganese 
are  today  mined  at  Quines.  There  exist  in  the 
province  deposits  of  copper,  silver,  vanadium, 
manganese,  gold,  and  mica,  besides  quarries  of 
marble  and  onyx. 

Two  railroads  traverse  San  Luis,  the  Western, 
and  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific.  The  latter  has 
many  branches. 

The  capital  is  the  city  of  San  Luis.  It  is 
on  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific  Railroad,  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  province.  The  only  other  town 
worthy  of  mention  is  Villa  Mercedes,  an  important 
railroad  center  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  pro- 
vince, near  the  boundary  line  with  the  Province 
of  Cordoba.  It  has  a  population  of  about  9000 
inhabitants. 

The  inhabitants  are  noted  for  their  fine  appear- 
ance and  for  their  strength.  Many  are  the  de- 
scendants of  the  mestizos  (mixed  Spanish  and 
Indian  blood)  from  the  colonial  times. 


679 


CITY  OF  SAN  LUIS. 


THE  city  of  San  Luis,  capital  of  the  pro- 
vince of  the  same  name,  is  a  dull, 
sleepy,  quiet  place  of  about  12,000 
inhabitants,  and  is  not  growing.  It  is 
built  in  an  oasis,  formed  by  irrigation,  and  in 
climate  is  dry  and  healthy.  The  city  was  founded 
in  1597,  by  Martin  Onez  de  Loyola,  on  a  high 
plateau  at  the  southwestern  extremity  of  a  range 
of  mountains  named  the  Punta  de  los  Venados. 
Its  inhabitants  are  nicknamed  Puntanos,  a  deriva- 
tion from  those  words. 

The  town  is  not  worthy  of  a  visit  unless  the 
stranger  is  called  there  on  business.  The  only  two 
buildings  that  amount  to  anything  are  the  depot 
and  the  capitol.  The  Plaza  Pringles  is  a  fine, 
shady  park,  but  poorly  kept  up.  The  hotels  are 
lacking  in  comfort  and  modernity. 


680 


RAILROAD  STATION. 

THIS  is  the  station  of  the  Buenos  Aires 
Pacific  Railroad.    It  stands  about  a 
mile  northwest  of  the  city,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  capitol  is  the  most 
imposing  edifice  of  the  place. 


STREET  SCENE. 


682 


THE  CAPITOL,  SAN  LUIS. 

THIS  is  the  largest  and  best  building  in 
the  city  of  San  Luis.  Electric  wires 
have  been  stretched  all  over  its  fagade 
to  which  are  attached  countless  bulbs, 
as  shown  in  this  photograph.  On  holidays  it  is 
illuminated,  but  so  weak  is  the  electric  light  plant 
of  the  city,  that  when  all  the  bulbs  on  the  capitol 
are  lighted,  the  rest  of  the  city  is  in  semi-darkness. 
The  Governor  of  the  province  is  Juan  Daract. 


684 


POST-OFFICE,  SAN  LUIS. 


686 


CLUB  AND  MUNICIPAL  THEATRE. 


688 


COURT  HOUSE,  SAN  LUIS. 


690 


691 


MARKET,  SAN  LUIS. 


692 


693 


LAFINUR  SCHOOL. 
This  is  for  boys  only. 


694 


CHURCH  OF  SANTO  DOMINGO. 


696 


PRINGLES  MONUMENT. 


UNDER  this  pinnacle  of  brick  and  plaster 
repose  the  mortal  remains  of  Juan 
Pascual  Pringles,  one  of  the  heroes 
of  Argentina's  War  of  Independence. 
He  was  a  native  son  of  desolate  San  Luis. 


699 


BANK  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  NATION. 


ALFALFA  FIELD,  ENVIRONS  OF  SAN 
LUIS. 


700 


70I 


ONE  OF  THE  MAIN  STREETS. 


HACIENDA  ABOUT  THREE  MILES  EAST 
OF  CITY  OF  SAN  LUIS. 

THE  mountains  are  the  Punta  de  los  Venados, 
rich  in  minerals  and  in  mountain  lions. 


TYPICAL  COUNTRY  SCENE,  PROVINCE  OF 
SAN  LUIS. 


THIS  is  a  view  of  the  landscape  of  San 
Luis  Province  where  the  wagon  road 
to  the  east  crosses  the  Chorillo  Creek 
at  a  point  named  Puente  Blanco  (White 
Bridge) .    The  Punta  de  los  Venados  is  seen  in  the 
background. 


704 


705 


PROVINCE  OF  MENDOZA. 


THE  Province  of  Mendoza  has  an  area 
of  56,502  square  miles  (a  trifle  less 
than  Michigan)  and  had  a  population 
in  191 5  of  283,640  inhabitants.  It  is 
the  most  important  province  of  Western  Argen- 
tina, and  under  the  viceregency  it,  together  with 
what  are  now  the  provinces  of  San  Luis  and  San 
Juan,  formed  the  Province  of  Cuyo,  and  was 
administered  from  Santiago,  Chile. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  province  is  something 
similar  to  San  Luis,  dry  and  arid,  and  covered 
with  scrub  and  mimosa  bushes.  The  western 
part  is  extremely  fertile,  caused  by  water  being 
conducted  to  it  from  the  Andean  streams,  the 
chief  ones  of  which  are  the  Tunuyan,  the  Mendoza, 
and  the  Diamante.  It  is  in  this  region  at  the  foot 
of  the  Andes  that  is  located  the  greatest  wine 
producing  country  in  South  America.  For  miles 
and  miles  are  vineyards,  and  the  landscape  is 
dotted  with  wineries,  some  of  which  are  enormous, 
that  of  Tomba  at  Godoy  Cruz  being  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  world.  The  wine  industry  has  of 
late  years  been  somewhat  overdone,  as  none  is 

706 


exported  to  Europe  in  large  quantities,  owing 
to  local  competition.  Therefore  the  growing  of 
fruits  for  table  usages  and  for  canning  now  is  one 
of  the  leading  industries.  Stock-raising  is  another. 
Not  many  cereals  are  grown,  as  it  is  too  expensive 
to  grow  them  by  irrigation. 

The  climate  presents  the  extremes,  the  summers 
being  hot  and  the  winters  cold.  In  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Andes  it  rains  frequently,  the  fre- 
quency and  precipitation  diminishing  considerably 
as  the  pampa  is  approached  going  eastward.  The 
highest  mountains  in  South  America  are  in  the 
Province  of  Mendoza,  the  culminating  point  being 
Aconcagua,  whose  height  is  estimated  at  24,000 
feet.  It  is  a  volcano.  At  a  pass  in  these  moun- 
tains, that  of  Uspallata,  San  Martin  crossed  into 
Chile  where  he  defeated  the  Spaniards,  breaking 
the  Spanish  rule  in  the  southern  part  of  South 
America.  There  are  many  mineral  springs  in  the 
province  owing  their  origin  to  the  volcanic  condi- 
tions there  existing.  The  waters  from  Villavi- 
cencio  are  widely  drunk ;  those  of  Cacheuta  and  of 
Puente  del  Inca  are  for  thermal  purposes. 

In  the  province  there  is  a  large  Italian  element, 
who  have  been  attracted  here  to  pursue  the  same 
walks  in  life  that  they  have  accustomed  them- 
selves to  in  the  old  country.  It  was  they  who 
brought  in  the  Lombardy  poplars,  trees  that  grace 
every  Mendoza  landscape. 

There  are  three  railroads  in  the  province; 
the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific,  with  the  city  of  Men- 

707 


doza  as  its  terminus,  has  a  network  of  lines  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  capital.  The  Western  Rail- 
road enters  the  southern  part  of  the  province  and 
has  its  terminal  at  General  Alvear.  The  Trans- 
andine  Railroad  begins  at  Mendoza  and  by  a  nar- 
row gauge  track  crosses  the  Andes  into  Chile. 

The  capital  of  the  province  is  the  city  of  Men- 
doza, a  fine  city  of  65,000  inhabitants.  The  only 
other  places  of  importance  are  Godoy  Cruz,  a 
suburb  of  Mendoza;  San  Rafael  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  province  and  the  heart  of  the  Dia- 
mante Valley  wine  country;  General  Alvear, 
farther  south,  and  La  Paz,  a  railroad  junction 
with  car  shops. 


708 


CITY  OF  MENDOZA. 


THIS  is  a  fine,  old-fashioned  town  with 
broad,  shady  streets,  low  but  massive 
buildings,  beautiful  parks,  and  ani- 
mated business  streets.  Its  population 
is  about  65,000,  exclusive  of  its  suburb  Godoy 
Cruz  which  has  10,000  more.  It  is  an  opulent 
city,  the  home  of  the  rich  wine  manufacturers  and 
merchants,  who  prefer  to  live  on  their  estates  than 
to  move  to  Buenos  Aires  after  having  made  their 
fortune.  People  compare  Mendoza  with  Guate- 
mala City,  because  between  the  sidewalks  and  the 
road  run  streams  of  fresh  water,  spanned  by 
cement  and  stone  foot-bridges  a  yard  long.  Al- 
though it  gets  very  hot  in  the  summer,  one  can 
always  keep  cool  by  seeking  the  shade  of  the 
sycamore  trees  that  line  the  sidewalks. 

The  Plaza  San  Martin  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
Argentina  and  is  well  kept  up.  Its  trees  have  not 
had  the  chance  to  afford  shade,  as  they  are  still 
young.  It  contains  an  equestrian  statue  of  the 
patriot  looking  towards  the  Andes,  for  here  the 
Guerrero  had  his  winter  headquarters  before 
crossing  into  Chile.    On  an  eminence  a  few  miles 

709 


west  of  the  city  stands  a  colossal  monument  in 
honor  of  the  liberating  arm}^  The  West  Park  is 
criterion  for  all  others  in  provincial  Argentina. 

The  wineries  of  Domingo  Tomba  and  of  the 
Benegas  Brothers  are  the  best  known  in  South 
America.  Outside  of  the  products  of  the  vintage, 
there  is  but  little  manufacturing  in  Mendoza, 
although  there  are  several  small  potteries  and 
some  fruit-canning  establishments.  The  stranger 
to  Mendoza  is  astounded  at  seeing  the  great  num- 
ber of  adobe  buildings,  which  form  the  majority. 
The  old  town  which  was  visited  by  an  earthquake 
and  practically  devastated  in  l86i,  over  10,000 
persons  being  killed,  was  practically  entirely  built 
of  adobe,  and  the  buildings  that  are  not  built  of 
that  material  have  been  erected  since  then. 

The  growth  of  Mendoza  has  not  been  rapid. 
This  was  due  to  its  inaccessibility.  It  is  655  miles 
west  of  Buenos  Aires,  and  but  242  from  Santiago, 
Chile,  which  city  had  always  been  its  trade  outlet 
until  the  railroad  was  built  connecting  it  with 
Buenos  Aires  and  Rosario,  which  gave  it  access  to 
the  River  Plate  over  a  seemingly  level  stretch  of 
territory.  Mendoza  carries  on  a  brisk  trade  with 
Chile. 

It  possesses  a  fair  hotel  named  the  Grand,  owned 
by  an  Alsatian  Jew  named  Levi,  and  a  less  pre- 
tentious German  one  named  the  Bauer. 


710 


BUENOS  AIRES  PACIFIC  RAILROAD 
STATION. 


NECOCHEA  STREET. 


712 


713 


MUNICIPAL  THEATRE. 


BANK  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  MENDOZA. 

THIS  bank  as  well  as  one  in  the  city 
of   San  Juan,  issues   its  own  paper 
money,   which   is   acceptable  every- 
where in  the  province  excepting  in  the 
government  offices. 


714 


PLAZA  SAN  MARTIN. 


THIS  photograph  is  facing  the  west.  Note 
the  equestrian  statue  of  San  Martin 
facing  the  same  direction.  This  is  be- 
cause it  was  in  the  west,  in  Chile,  that 
he  defeated  the  Spaniards  under  Osorio,  and  it  was 
to  the  west  over  the  Andes  that  he  led  his  troops. 
The  building  on  the  extreme  left  is  a  club;  that 
in  the  center  is  the  Spanish  Bank  of  the  River 
Plate ;  the  one  on  the  right  is  not  a  synagogue  as 
one  might  suppose  from  its  Hebraic  architecture, 
but  is  the  leading  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Men- 
doza. 


716 


SPANISH  BANK  OF  THE  RIVER  PLATE. 


718 


719 


BANK  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  NATION. 

THIS  branch  of  the  Buenos  Aires  bank  of 
the  same  name  has  its  building  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  Plaza  San 
Martin. 


720 


THE  ALAMEDA. 


SO  is  called  the  prolongation  of  San  Martin 
Street.     It    divides    the    original  city 
''Old''  Mendoza  from  the  modern  one. 
This  view  is  taken  looking  north.  The 
buildings  to  the  right  belong  in  ''Old''  Mendoza, 
while  those  to  the  left  appertain  to  the  modern 
town. 


722 


723 


RUINS  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  SANTO 
DOMINGO. 


THIS  edifice  was  built  of  adobe  and  was 
situated  in  the  center  of  ''Old"  Men- 
doza.  All  the  buildings  in  the  old 
city  were  built  of  this  material.  On 
March  20,  1861,  there  was  a  terrible  earthquake. 
The  roofs  fell  outward,  killing  the  people  who  were 
walking  on  the  sidewalk,  and  the  roofs  collapsed 
killing  those  who  remained  indoors.  Over  10,000 
people  alone  lost  their  lives  in  Mendoza.  It  was  a 
Sunday  night  and  church  services  were  being  held. 
Of  the  several  hundred  people  in  the  church  of 
Santo  Domingo  at  the  time  of  the  catastrophe, 
only  one  escaped  unhurt.  This  was  a  drunken 
man  who  had  lain  down  beneath  an  arch  (the 
center  one  in  this  photograph) .  This  arch  did  not 
collapse. 

Notice  the  caladiums  or  ''elephant's  ears'' 
planted  around  the  artificial  lake.  Few  South 
American  parks  or  gardens  are  lacking  in  these 
plants. 


724 


725 


SARMIENTO  STREET. 

THIS  is  a  typical  street  in  the  modern  part 
of  the  city.    Notice  the  gutters,  flanked 
by  foot-bridges.     These    gutters  are 
paved  with  polished  stones  and  pebbles, 
and  through  them  flows  clear  running  water, 
which  gives  a  cooling  impression  even  on  the 
hottest  summer  days. 


726 


72/ 


ROTUNDA  IN  WEST  PARK. 

WEST  PARK  (Parque  del  Oeste)  is 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the 
main  part  of  Mendoza.  It  is  beauti- 
fully laid  out,  and  each  year  that 
elapses  witnesses  new  improvements  in  it.  The 
hill  in  the  left  background  is  at  present  surmounted 
by  a  statue  in  commemoration  of  the  Liberating 
Army.  It  is  now  planted  to  trees  and  bushes, 
which  are  kept  aHve  by  water  which  is  piped  to  its 
summit,  and  then  allowed  to  run  down  its  sides 
in  ditches. 


728 


729 


WINE  INDUSTRY,  PROVINCE  OF 
MENDOZA. 

THIS  is  a  photograph  of  the  grape  vats  in  one 
of  the  large  wineries  of  the  province. 


730 


WINE  INDUSTRY,  PROVINCE  OF 
MENDOZA. 

THESE  are  wine  presses  in  one  of  Mendoza's 
large  wineries. 


732 


WINE  INDUSTRY,  PROVINCE  OF 
MENDOZA. 

THESE  are  compartments  for  the  fermentation 
of  wine. 


734 


WINE  INDUSTRY,  PROVINCE  OF 
MENDOZA. 

THIS  is  the  shipping -room  of  the  Tra- 
piche  Winery,  the  property  of  the 
Benegas  Brothers.  Their  vineyards 
are  about  five  miles  south  of  Mendoza. 


736 


7.37 


SCENES,  PROVINCE  OF  MENDOZA. 


LUJAN  DAM,  UPPER  VIEW. 

THIS  water  is  used  for  irrigation  purposes. 
The  part  of  the  province  which  can  be 
supplied  with  water  is  named  the  Zona 
del  Riego.    It  is  here  where  the  wine 
industry  flourishes. 


LUJAN  DAM,  LOWER  VIEW. 


738 


739 


RIO  BLANCO. 


THIS  name  means  "White  River,  its  color 
being   derived   from   its   sprays  and 
foam  as  it  rushes  turbulently  down 
the  Andean  mountain  canyon.     It  is 
a  typical  stream  of  the  Argentine  Andes. 


740 


BATHS  OF  CACHEUTA. 


THIS  photograph  is  by  Augusto  Streich  of 
Mendoza. 
Cacheuta  lies  in  a  defile  of  the  Men- 
doza River,  in  the  Andes  Mountains, 
twenty-five  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Mendoza. 
It  is  on  the  Transandean  Railroad.  The  land- 
scape is  barren  and  unattractive.  The  place 
consists  of  a  large  hotel  with  baths  and  a  gambling 
establishment.  The  waters  are  good  for  rheu- 
matism, but  are  bad  for  the  heart.  The  majority 
of  people  visiting  Cacheuta  do  not  come  to  be 
cured  of  any  affliction  but  to  play  roulette  in  the 
casino  which  is  the  great  attraction.  It  is  fre- 
quented only  by  the  elite,  and  every  Sunday  wit- 
nesses many  visitors  from  Mendoza  who  arrive 
and  depart  for  home  the  same  day. 

Since  this  photograph  was  taken,  a  large  three- 
story  hotel  has  been  built  where  stood  the  long, 
low,  straggling  building  here  depicted. 


742 


743 


BATHS  OF  CACHEUTA. 

HIS  is  a  grotto  adjacent  to  the  baths. 
The  gentleman  in  the  strijoed  under- 
clothing is  a  former  manager  of  the 
thermal  establishment. 


744 


745 


USPALLATA. 


THIS  is  a  station  on  the  Transandean 
Railroad,  fifty-eight  miles  west  of  Men- 
doza.  The  valley  of  the  Mendoza  River 
here  opens  forming  a  valley  which 
contains  one  large  ranch,  that  of  Uspallata, 
planted  to  alfalfa.  It  was  at  this  ranch,  that 
San  Martin  assembled  his  army  for  the  final  stage 
of  his  march  across  the  Andes,  a  march  that  is 
unparalleled  in  history  which,  in  magnitude  of 
undertaking,  owing  to  the  obstacles  to  be  met, 
surpasses  Hannibal's  crossing  of  the  Alps. 


746 


747 


LAS  VACAS. 

LAS  VACAS  is  on  the  Transandean  Rail- 
road, 91  miles  west  of  Mendoza  and  19 
miles  east  of  the  last  Argentine  station. 
It  is  7784  feet  above  sea  level.    A  snow 
storm  was  raging  in  the  mountains  to  the  left 
when  this  photograph  was  taken,  hence  the  hazy 
view  in  that  direction. 


748 


749 


PUENTE  DEL  INCA. 


THE  name  of  this  place  translated  into 
English  means  Bridge  of  the  Inca, 
so  called  from  a  natural  bridge  under 
which  flows  a  turbulent  glacial  stream. 
Although  the  name  Inca  appears  as  an  appellation 
in  several  instances  in  this  region,  a  lake  in  Chile 
across  the  Andes  not  far  from  here  being  called  the 
Lago  del  Inca,  it  is  a  historical  fact  that  the  Incas 
never  were  in  this  part  of  the  country,  nor  were 
they  nearer  than  looo  miles  north  of  here. 

Puente  del  Inca  is  102  miles  west  of  Mendoza 
and  8  miles  east  of  the  international  tunnel.  Its 
altitude  is  8840  feet  above  sea  level.  The  place  is 
a  fashionable  summer  resort,  the  tourists  attracted 
thither  by  the  bracing  air,  the  baths  from  the  hot 
springs,  and  mountain  climbing.  It  is  the  starting- 
point  to  ascend  Aconcagua,  whose  height  is  esti- 
rnated  at  24,000  feet. 


750 


751 


PUENTE  DEL  INCA. 

THIS  is  a  photograph  of  the  famous  natural 
bridge  of  Argentina.    It  is  of  calcareous 
rock  and  stands  86  feet  above  the  defile 
of  the  Mendoza  River.    It  is  an  arch, 
its  under  side  being  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse,  which 
measures  156  feet.    Its  top  is  102  feet  long,  while 
its  thickness  averages  28  feet. 


752 


PUENTE  DEL  INCA. 

SKI  sport  is  one  of  the  winter  attractions  of  this 
balnearial  resort. 


754 


ACONCAGUA. 


THIS  volcano,  thought  to  be  extinct,  is  the 
highest  in  South  America.  It  is  esti- 
mated to  be  24,000  feet  high,  but 
careful  calculations  show  that  its  height 
is  only  23,080  feet.  It  has  been  ascended  several 
times,  the  first  man  to  do  so  being  E.  A.  Fitzgerald. 
Although  the  mountain  is  both  in  Argentina  and 
in  Chile,  its  summit,  however,  lies  within  Argentine 
dominion. 


756 


MOUTH  OF  INTERNATIONAL  TUNNEL, 
LAS  CUEVAS. 


LAS  CUEVAS  is  the  last  Argentine 
station.  Its  altitude  above  sea  level  is 
10,241  feet.  Here  is  the  international 
tunnel  which  was  inaugurated  April  5, 
1 910.  It  is  9848  feet  long,  5460  feet  of  which  are 
in  Argentine  territory,  the  remaining  4388  feet 
being  Chilean.  It  passes  2559  feet  beneath  the 
Cumbre  Pass,  over  which  there  is  still  considerable 
travel.  In  winter,  when  snow  blockades  in  the 
open  prohibit  the  communication  between  Argen- 
tina and  Chile  by  train,  many  people  ride  through 
the  tunnel  on  horseback  or  else  walk  through  it. 
The  writer  has  walked  through  it  both  ways,  and 
has  also  crossed  the  pass  of  the  Cumbre  on  horse- 
back. 


758 


INTERNATIONAL  TUNNEL,  LAS 
CUEVAS. 

THIS  view  taken  a  few  rods  within  the 
mouth  of  the  tunnel  is  looking  out 
of  the  Argentine  entrance  into  the 
Province  of  Mendoza. 


760 


761 


THE  CHRIST  OF  THE  ANDES. 


THIS  is  a  statue  of  Christ  the  Redeemer/' 
named  in  Spanish  ''Cristo  Redentor." 
There  had  been  a  long-standing  dispute 
between  Argentina  and  Chile  over  the 
boundary  question  of  these  respective  countries 
which  was  becoming  serious.  An  amicable  under- 
standing was  brought  about,  and  this  monument 
was  erected  as  a  symbol  of  Peace.  Christ  has  his 
right  hand  outstretched  in  the  act  of  blessing 
both  nations.  This  statue  is  of  bronze,  is  29  feet 
high,  and  is  the  work  of  the  Argentine  sculptor, 
Mateo  Alonso.  It  was  dedicated  in  March,  1904. 
In  the  background,  notice  an  iron  tower,  painted 
white.  There  are  several  of  these,  and  the  lines 
drawn  between  them  and  the  Christ  define  the 
boundary. 

When  the  writer  saw  the  *'Cristo  Redentor''  it 
was  in  a  sorry  state.  The  elements  had  blown  the 
cross  from  his  hand,  and  the  body  was  pockmarked 
with  white  spots,  caused  by  the  bullets  the  Chilean 
rotos  had  fired  at  it  with  their  revolvers  when  they 
recrossed  the  Andes  to  their  native  country,  after 
having  worked  for  the  season  installing  the  electri- 
cal plant  at  Puente  del  Inca.  Recently,  however, 
this  statue  has  been  repaired. 


762 


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